Retrival experience as an accurate indicator of person identification in line-ups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María José Contreras

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Responses in eyewitness identification of a person in a line-up may be based on two types of recovery experiences, remember and know experiences. Remember responses involve eyewitness identification of the target person as an episodic memory task, because it implies retrieving information about the target person in the place and at the time of the event. Know responses, in contrast, engage recognition based on familiarity or perceptual facilitation, that is, as a semantic memory task. To explore the relation between retrieval experiences and recognition accuracy, 86 participants took part in a recognition task with two conditions: one with an interpolated target absent line-up and the other only with the target present line-up. Accuracy of recognition and retrieval experience was measured. The results showed that, having previously participated in a target-absent line-up, increased omissions, while the number of hits decreased. Furthermore, participants’ know responses were associated to false recognition, whilst remember responses were associated to hits in recognition. Thus, asking eyewitnesses to inform about the kind of retrieval experience in which they based their recognition responses, may serve as a reliable indicator of accuracy in recognition. Future studies are needed to investigate whether this is also the case in natural settings.

Preservice teachers’ objectives and their experience of practical work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Nivalainen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This study explores third-year preservice physics teachers’ (n=32 views concerning the objectives of practical work at school and university. Content analysis of their essays about practical work revealed not only the objectives of the practical work undertaken but also how they had experienced teaching as school and university students. The objectives most commonly referred to were related to the connections between theory and practice, motivation, understanding phenomena, learning how to observe, and learning how to report. In contrast, some objectives were recognized only rarely, which is an important issue for discussion as a future challenge. Preservice teachers’ positive experiences of practical work resulted from the successful implementation of practical work. According to our findings, practical work can in many cases be regarded as successful, especially when the participants understand the objectives of the teaching. In contrast, negative experiences reflected failures or difficulties in implementation. We conclude by suggesting that preservice teachers should be offered opportunities to reflect on their previous experiences and to see and experience in practice the advantages of practical work.

Preliminary study of the effects of an educational workshop on therapeutic use of music and aesthetic experience with music in first-line nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Hui-Ling

2011-11-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of an educational workshop on knowledge of and attitude toward therapeutic use of music and aesthetic experiences with music among first-line nurses. A one-group pre-test/post-test design was used. Forty-six first-line nurses, aged 21-56 years, were recruited from seven different hospitals. Questionnaires were used to assess the nurses' knowledge of and attitude toward therapeutic use of music and aesthetic experience with music before and after the workshop, and 3 months after the workshop. The workshop comprised three sessions; the nurses participated in 8h of instruction the first week and 4h, the second week covering analytical music appreciation, music staves comprehension, theory and practice of music therapy, and evidence-based music intervention. Educational workshop significantly improved knowledge of and attitudes toward therapeutic use of music and music aesthetic experiences (pmusic aesthetic experiences between nurse with and without music backgrounds differed significantly (p=0.01). The workshop enhanced the knowledge of and attitude toward therapeutic use of music and aesthetic experiences with music among first-line nurses. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pharmacists' experience of conflict in community practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Austin, Zubin; Gregory, Paul A M; Martin, J Craig

2010-03-01

Interpersonal conflict may be characterized as intellectual disagreement with emotional entanglement. While interpersonal conflict has been studied and described in different health care settings, there is little research that focuses on community pharmacists and the ways in which they experience conflict in professional practice. To describe and characterize the experience of interpersonal conflict within community pharmacy practice. A self-reporting narrative log was developed in which actively recruited pharmacists reported and reflected upon their day-to-day experiences of interpersonal conflict in professional practice. Focus groups of pharmacists were convened following data analysis to provide context and confirmation of identified themes. Based on this analysis, an explanatory model for interpersonal conflict in community pharmacy practice was generated. Participants were actively recruited from community pharmacy settings in the Toronto (Canada) area. A total of 41 community pharmacists participated. Interpersonal conflict in pharmacy practice is ubiquitous and results from diverse triggers. A conflict stance model was developed, based on the worldview and the communication style of the individual pharmacist. Specific conflict stances identified were: imposing, thwarting, settling, and avoiding. Further testing and refinement of this model is required. Crown Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A field experiment on power line stabilization by SMES system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irie, F.; Takeo, M.; Sato, S.; Katahira, O.; Fukui, F.; Takamatsu, M.

1992-01-01

In this paper field experiments on stabilization of a hydro power plant by a SMES system are reported, where a generator having a rating of 60 kW at 3.3kV is connected to a 6.6kV power distribution line. The SMES system is composed of two 30kVA GTO convertors and a superconducting magnet system with an energy of 30kJ at 100A. Experiments of stabilization for the generator fluctuation caused by a sudden insertion of inductors in the line are successfully performed for some control modes. The value of the SMES system to compensate for a short period voltage dip is also confirmed

The relationship between line manager behavior, perceived HRM practices and individual performance : Examining the mediating role of engagement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alfes, K.; Truss, C.; Soane, E.; Rees, C.; Gatenby, M.

2013-01-01

This article examines the role played by line managers in the link between HRM practices and individual performance outcomes. Drawing on social exchange theory, the authors test a mediated model linking perceived line manager behavior and perceived human resource management practices with employee

40 CFR Table 36 to Subpart Uuu of... - Work Practice Standards for HAP Emissions From Bypass Lines

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 12 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Work Practice Standards for HAP Emissions From Bypass Lines 36 Table 36 to Subpart UUU of Part 63 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL..., Table 36 Table 36 to Subpart UUU of Part 63—Work Practice Standards for HAP Emissions From Bypass Lines...

“PI OF THE SKY” OFF-LINE EXPERIMENT WITH GLORIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ariel Majcher

2014-06-01

Full Text Available GLORIA is the first free and open-access network of robotic telescopes in the world. Based on the Web 2.0 environment, amateur and professional users can do research in astronomy by observing with robotic telescope, and/or analyzing data acquired with GLORIA, or from other free access databases. The GLORIA project develops free standards, protocols and tools for controlling Robotic Telescopes and related instrumentation, for scheduling observations in the telescope network, and for conducting so-called off-line experiments based on the analysis of astronomical data. This contribution summarizes the implementation and results from the first research level off-line demonstrator experiment implemented in GLORIA, which was based on data collected with the “Pi of the Sky” telescope in Chile.

Experience Studies on Determining Life Premium Insurance Ratings: Practical Approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirela CRISTEA

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The focus of this article is to present the modelling tehcniques used on international practice in the evaluation of right life premiums based. The knowledge and models obtained have a common element of mortality risk indicators but these are varied in different parts of the world. The common elements of these studies and models are generally based on a series of indicators which mainly point out their probability of survival and they are named the mortality indicators. These indicators represent the basis for the calculation of the premiums quotes and for the elaboration by the insurers of premium tables. The benefit for the policyholder is to obtain insurance at a fair and competitive price and for the insurer, to maintain the experience of its portfolio in line with mortality assumptions.

Testing theory in practice: a simple experiment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Terpstra, R.; Brezocnik, Z.; Kapus, T.; Ferreira Pires, Luis; Heerink, A.W.; Tretmans, G.J.

1996-01-01

In this paper we discuss the experiences gained in conducting a simple testing experiment. The goal of this experiment is to apply the abstract, formal testing framework [8] in a practical setting, and to indicate the critical aspects in its application to realistic testing situations. For that

Software for on-line experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanchenko, I.M.

1981-01-01

A review of nowadays development state of software of on-line electron experiments is presented. The principles of organization of real time systems on second generation computer base are considered. The following methods for projections search are considered: combinator methods, global methods, methods of tracking, methods of a supporting band. The following methods for determining parameter estimates based on the Lorentz equation are analysed: analytical simulation of trajectories, determination of parameters by the iterative method using the technique of calculation of recycled integrals, multidimensional statistical analysis. For the purpose of successful usage and development of software the technique of selfdocumented programs is created and the computer is applied for preparing, revising and circulation of external descriptions which as program complexes are constructed according to the hierarchical principle [ru

USDA Snack Policy Implementation: Best Practices From the Front Lines, United States, 2013-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Asada, Yuka; Chriqui, Jamie; Chavez, Noel; Odoms-Young, Angela; Handler, Arden

2016-06-16

The Smart Snacks in Schools interim final rule was promulgated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as authorized by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (PL 111-296) and implementation commenced beginning July 1, 2014; however, in the years leading up to this deadline, national studies suggested that most schools were far from meeting the USDA standards. Evidence to guide successful implementation of the standards is needed. This study examined snack policy implementation in exemplary high schools to learn best practices for implementation. Guided by a multiple case study approach, school professionals (n = 37) from 9 high schools across 8 states were recruited to be interviewed about perceptions of school snack implementation; schools were selected using criterion sampling on the basis of the HealthierUS Schools Challenge: Smarter Lunchrooms (HUSSC: SL) database. Interview transcripts and internal documents were organized and coded in ATLAS.Ti v7; 2 researchers coded and analyzed data using a constant comparative analysis method to identify best practice themes. Best practices for snack policy implementation included incorporating the HUSSC: SL award's comprehensive wellness approach; leveraging state laws or district policies to reinforce snack reform initiatives; creating strong internal and external partnerships; and crafting positive and strategic communications. Implementation of snack policies requires evidence of successful experiences from those on the front lines. As federal, state, and local technical assistance entities work to ensure implementation of the Smart Snacks standards, these best practices provide strategies to facilitate the process.

Nursing Student Teachers' experiences during teaching practice:

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Mary

Teaching practice experiences of nursing student provide greater insight to develop effective classroom and clinical teaching ... expectations and benefits are significantly derived from teaching practice although contingent on the mode of entry into the ...... Participation in and Leadership of. Continual Improvement.

On-line interactive virtual experiments on nanoscience

Science.gov (United States)

Kadar, Manuella; Ileana, Ioan; Hutanu, Constantin

2009-01-01

This paper is an overview on the next generation web which allows students to experience virtual experiments on nano science, physics devices, processes and processing equipment. Virtual reality is used to support a real university lab in which a student can experiment real lab sessions. The web material is presented in an intuitive and highly visual 3D form that is accessible to a diverse group of students. Such type of laboratory provides opportunities for professional and practical education for a wide range of users. The expensive equipment and apparatuses that build the experimental stage in a particular standard laboratory is used to create virtual educational research laboratories. Students learn how to prepare the apparatuses and facilities for the experiment. The online experiments metadata schema is the format for describing online experiments, much like the schema behind a library catalogue used to describe the books in a library. As an online experiment is a special kind of learning object, one specifies its schema as an extension to an established metadata schema for learning objects. The content of the courses, metainformation as well as readings and user data are saved on the server in a database as XML objects.

Rural general practice training: experience of a rural general practice team and a postgraduate year two registrar.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott-Jones, Joseph; Lucas, Sarah

2013-09-01

Undertaking training in rural areas is a recognised way of helping recruit staff to work in rural communities. Postgraduate year two medical doctors in New Zealand have been able to undertake a three-month placement in rural practice as part of their pre-vocational training experience since November 2010. To describe the experience of a rural general practice team providing training to a postgraduate year two medical trainee, and to describe the teaching experience and range of conditions seen by the trainee. A pre- and post-placement interview with staff, and analysis of a logbook of cases and teaching undertaken in the practice. The practice team's experience of having the trainee was positive, and the trainee was exposed to a wide range of conditions over 418 clinical encounters. The trainee received 22.5 hours of formal training over the three-month placement. Rural general practice can provide a wide range of clinical experience to a postgraduate year two medical trainee. Rural practices in New Zealand should be encouraged to offer teaching placements at this training level. Exposure to rural practice at every level of training is important to encourage doctors to consider rural practice as a career.

Cell lines authentication and mycoplasma detection as minimun quality control of cell lines in biobanking.

Science.gov (United States)

Corral-Vázquez, C; Aguilar-Quesada, R; Catalina, P; Lucena-Aguilar, G; Ligero, G; Miranda, B; Carrillo-Ávila, J A

2017-06-01

Establishment of continuous cell lines from human normal and tumor tissues is an extended and useful methodology for molecular characterization of cancer pathophysiology and drug development in research laboratories. The exchange of these cell lines between different labs is a common practice that can compromise assays reliability due to contamination with microorganism such as mycoplasma or cells from different flasks that compromise experiment reproducibility and reliability. Great proportions of cell lines are contaminated with mycoplasma and/or are replaced by cells derived for a different origin during processing or distribution process. The scientific community has underestimated this problem and thousand of research experiment has been done with cell lines that are incorrectly identified and wrong scientific conclusions have been published. Regular contamination and authentication tests are necessary in order to avoid negative consequences of widespread misidentified and contaminated cell lines. Cell banks generate, store and distribute cell lines for research, being mandatory a consistent and continuous quality program. Methods implementation for guaranteeing both, the absence of mycoplasma and authentication in the supplied cell lines, has been performed in the Andalusian Health System Biobank. Specifically, precise results were obtained using real time PCR detection for mycoplasma and 10 STRs identification by capillary electrophoresis for cell line authentication. Advantages and disadvantages of these protocols are discussed.

Versatile Ion-polarized Techniques On-line (VITO) experiment at ISOLDE-CERN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stachura, M., E-mail: monika.stachura@cern.ch [CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Gottberg, A. [CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Johnston, K. [CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Universität des Saarlandes, Experimentalphysik, 66123 Saabrucken (Germany); Bissell, M.L.; Garcia Ruiz, R.F. [Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 D, 3001 Leuven (Belgium); Martins Correia, J.; Granadeiro Costa, A.R. [Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares - C" 2TN, Instituto Superior Técnico, Campus Tecnológico e Nuclear, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139,7), 2695-066 Bobadela LRS (Portugal); Dehn, M. [Technische Universität München, Physics Department, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching (Germany); Deicher, M. [Universität des Saarlandes, Experimentalphysik, 66123 Saabrucken (Germany); Fenta, A. [CICECO, Complexo de Laboratórios Tecnológicos, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Hemmingsen, L. [Kemisk Institut, Københavns Universitet, Universtetsparken 5, 2100 København (Denmark); Mølholt, T.E. [CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Munch, M. [Institut for Fysik og Astronomi, Aarhus Universitet, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus C (Denmark); Neyens, G. [Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 D, 3001 Leuven (Belgium); and others

2016-06-01

The VITO (Versatile Ion-polarized Techniques Online) project is a new experimental setup at the ISOLDE facility at CERN. VITO is a dedicated beam line for producing laser-induced spin-polarized beams of both, atoms and ions, and it has been commissioned in response to the continuously growing demand for the use of spin-polarized beams. The new VITO beam line is a modification of the formerly existing ultra-high vacuum beam line, connecting ASPIC (Apparatus for Surface Physics and Interfaces at CERN), and it has been under construction since the beginning of 2014. Once fully commissioned, VITO will open up numerous possibilities for carrying out multidisciplinary experiments in the areas of nuclear and solid state physics, fundamental interaction physics and biophysics. In its final stage the VITO beam line will provide three fully independent experimental stations: UHV chamber for material science applications, a β-asymmetry station where highly-polarized ions will be available, and a central open-end station suitable for travelling experiments. The VITO beam line will operate in two different modes providing either beams of spin-polarized atoms or ions, or non-polarized ion beams to all three end stations operating from 10{sup −10} mbar to 50 mbar. Recent experimental campaigns with stable and radioactive beams have allowed for testing VITO’s constituent parts and have demonstrated 96% of ion beam transmission to the collection chamber installed on the central station. The first experimental results obtained with on-line Perturbed Angular Correlation (PAC) spectroscopy using {sup 68m}Cu ion-beams will be briefly discussed.

Rural general practice training: experience of a rural general practice team and a postgraduate year two registrar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scott-Jones J

2013-09-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Undertaking training in rural areas is a recognised way of helping recruit staff to work in rural communities. Postgraduate year two medical doctors in New Zealand have been able to undertake a three-month placement in rural practice as part of their pre-vocational training experience since November 2010. AIM: To describe the experience of a rural general practice team providing training to a postgraduate year two medical trainee, and to describe the teaching experience and range of conditions seen by the trainee. METHODS: A pre- and post-placement interview with staff, and analysis of a logbook of cases and teaching undertaken in the practice. RESULTS: The practice team's experience of having the trainee was positive, and the trainee was exposed to a wide range of conditions over 418 clinical encounters. The trainee received 22.5 hours of formal training over the three-month placement. DISCUSSION: Rural general practice can provide a wide range of clinical experience to a postgraduate year two medical trainee. Rural practices in New Zealand should be encouraged to offer teaching placements at this training level. Exposure to rural practice at every level of training is important to encourage doctors to consider rural practice as a career.

Organizing a community advanced pharmacy practice experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Koenigsfeld, Carrie Foust; Tice, Angela L

2006-02-15

Setting up a community advanced pharmacy practice experience can be an overwhelming task for many pharmacy preceptors. This article provides guidance to pharmacist preceptors in developing a complete and effective community advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE). When preparing for the APPE, initial discussions with the college or school of pharmacy are key. Benefits, training, and requirements should be addressed. Site preparation, including staff education, will assist in the development process. The preceptor should plan orientation day activities and determine appropriate evaluation and feedback methods. With thorough preparation, the APPE will be rewarding for both the student and the pharmacy site.

International practice experiences in pharmacy education.

Science.gov (United States)

Cisneros, Robert M; Jawaid, Sarah Parnapy; Kendall, Debra A; McPherson, Charles E; Mu, Keli; Weston, Grady Scott; Roberts, Kenneth B

2013-11-12

To identify reasons for inclusion of international practice experiences in pharmacy curricula and to understand the related structure, benefits, and challenges related to the programs. A convenience sample of 20 colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States with international pharmacy education programs was used. Telephone interviews were conducted by 2 study investigators. University values and strategic planning were among key driving forces in the development of programs. Global awareness and cultural competency requirements added impetus to program development. Participants' advice for creating an international practice experience program included an emphasis on the value of working with university health professions programs and established travel programs. Despite challenges, colleges and schools of pharmacy value the importance of international pharmacy education for pharmacy students as it increases global awareness of health needs and cultural competencies.

Beam-line considerations for experiments with highly-charged ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, B.M.

1990-01-01

The APS offers exciting possibilities for a bright future in x-ray research. For example, measurements on the inner-shell photoionization of ions will be feasible using stored ions in ions traps or ion beams from an electron-cyclotron-resonance ion source, or perhaps even a heavy-ion storage ring. Such experiments with ionic targets are the focus for the discussion given here on the optimization of photon flux on a generic beamline at the APS. The performance of beam lines X26C, X26A, and X17 on the x-ray ring of the National Synchrotron Light Source will be discussed as specific examples of beam-line design considerations

Beam-line considerations for experiments with highly-charged ions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, B.M.

1990-01-01

The APS offers exciting possibilities for a bright future in x-ray research. For example, measurements on the inner-shell photoionization of ions will be feasible using stored ions in ions traps or ion beams from an electron-cyclotron-resonance ion source, or perhaps even a heavy-ion storage ring. Such experiments with ionic targets are the focus for the discussion given here on the optimization of photon flux on a generic beamline at the APS. The performance of beam lines X26C, X26A, and X17 on the x-ray ring of the National Synchrotron Light Source will be discussed as specific examples of beam-line design considerations.

Practices for improving the serviceability of linings installations in open systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spieres, G.V. [KTA - Tator Inc., Pittsburgh, PE (United States); Tombaugh, R.S. [PPL Susquehanna, LLC, PE (United States)

2001-07-01

Accelerated corrosion within nuclear plant raw water systems often necessitates in-place lining of corroded piping later in a plant's life to check corrosion. Linings are usually installed in-place, though some raw water piping and components can be lined in the site maintenance facility or even in an offsite shop. Coatings and linings have often been applied to tube sheets and channels in conjunction with re-tubing to prevent galvanic attack. Lining application practices necessary for reliability commensurate with the high quality expected in nuclear programs is often found wanting. Key process controls critical to the success of lining installations are often misunderstood or inadequately addressed. This paper reviews the critical process attributes essential to optimizing service life. These include: 1) Training workers in techniques required for a successful application; 2) Establishing and maintaining ambient controls; 3) Techniques for protecting against water intrusion; 4) Eliminating MIC and surface contaminants (e.g., chlorides); 5) Selecting the proper abrasive and blast system and containment and removal of blast debris; 6) Equipment for accelerated curing; and 7) Engineering tools essential to addressing the above key process variables. SWS linings represent the largest category of safety-related coatings outside containment. Revision 1 of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Regulatory Guide 1.54, which addresses safety-related coatings, was issued in July 2000. The original version only addressed containment coatings. Revision 1 references ASTM D5411-2000, which formalizes for the first time the existence of safety-related coatings both inside and outside containment. Rev. 1 of RG 1.54, on a going forward basis, links Appendix B QA/QC protocols heretofore established for containment coatings to safety-related coatings and linings outside containment. (authors)

Practices for improving the serviceability of linings installations in open systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spieres, G.V.; Tombaugh, R.S.

2001-01-01

Accelerated corrosion within nuclear plant raw water systems often necessitates in-place lining of corroded piping later in a plant's life to check corrosion. Linings are usually installed in-place, though some raw water piping and components can be lined in the site maintenance facility or even in an offsite shop. Coatings and linings have often been applied to tube sheets and channels in conjunction with re-tubing to prevent galvanic attack. Lining application practices necessary for reliability commensurate with the high quality expected in nuclear programs is often found wanting. Key process controls critical to the success of lining installations are often misunderstood or inadequately addressed. This paper reviews the critical process attributes essential to optimizing service life. These include: 1) Training workers in techniques required for a successful application; 2) Establishing and maintaining ambient controls; 3) Techniques for protecting against water intrusion; 4) Eliminating MIC and surface contaminants (e.g., chlorides); 5) Selecting the proper abrasive and blast system and containment and removal of blast debris; 6) Equipment for accelerated curing; and 7) Engineering tools essential to addressing the above key process variables. SWS linings represent the largest category of safety-related coatings outside containment. Revision 1 of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Regulatory Guide 1.54, which addresses safety-related coatings, was issued in July 2000. The original version only addressed containment coatings. Revision 1 references ASTM D5411-2000, which formalizes for the first time the existence of safety-related coatings both inside and outside containment. Rev. 1 of RG 1.54, on a going forward basis, links Appendix B QA/QC protocols heretofore established for containment coatings to safety-related coatings and linings outside containment. (authors)

Survey of transmission line corridors. [Data on delays in transmission line construction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-01-05

The intent of this study is to determine the extent of delays experienced in planning and constructing transmission lines in the continental United States. The reasons for the delays are identified for each line studied and their effect on the total electrical system is sought. Data was collected for 136 different lines either recently built or currently under study. Statistics were developed for each line in several categories and comparisons of lines delayed were made by company, area served and generation capacity. From the study presented here it was found that: right-of-way acquisition procedures including condemnation and easement negotiation practices delay more projects than local, state and federal regulatory requirements combined; load growth reductions particularly in the east have reduced the impact of regulatory delays; the south, southeast and southwestern areas of the country experience fewer delays in constructing transmission lines than the more populated states, and the cost for corridor delays was responded to for only 17 of the 142 projects surveyed. By far the most costly delay is the expense of condemning land for transmission right-of-way.

Workplace discrimination: experiences of practicing physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Coombs, Alice A Tolbert; King, Roderick K

2005-04-01

In response to a growing concern regarding physician discrimination in the workplace, this study was developed to: (1) describe the types of discrimination that exist for the practicing physician and (2) determine which groups of physicians are more likely to experience the various forms of discrimination. Surveys were mailed to 1930 practicing physicians in Massachusetts. Participants were asked if they had encountered discrimination, how significant the discrimination was against a specific group, the frequency of personal discrimination, and the type of discrimination. Factor analysis identified four types of discrimination: career advancement, punitive behaviors, practice barriers and hiring barriers. A total of 445 responses were received (a 24% response rate). Sixty-three percent of responding physicians had experienced some form of discrimination. Respondents were women (46%), racial/ethnic minorities (42%) and international medical graduates (IMGs) (40%). In addition, 26% of those classified as white were also IMGs. Over 60% of respondents believed discrimination against IMGs was very or somewhat significant. Almost 27% of males acknowledged that gender bias against females was very or somewhat significant. IMGs were more likely to indicate that discrimination against IMGs was significant in their current organization. Of U.S. medical graduates (USMGs) 44% reported that discrimination against IMGs in their current organization was significant. Nonwhites were more likely to report that discrimination based on race/ethnicity was significant. Nearly 29% of white respondents also believed that such discrimination was very or somewhat significant. Physicians practicing in academic, research, and private practice sectors experience discrimination based on gender, ethnic/racial, and IMG status.

Embodied Experience in Educational Practice and Research

Science.gov (United States)

Bengtsson, Jan

2013-01-01

The intention of this article is to make an educational analysis of Merleau-Ponty's theory of experience in order to see what it implicates for educational practice as well as educational research. In this way, we can attain an understanding what embodied experience might mean both in schools and other educational settings and in researching…

Workplace culture and the practice experience of midwifery students: A meta-synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Arundell, Fiona; Mannix, Judy; Sheehan, Athena; Peters, Kath

2018-04-01

To describe midwifery students' practice experience and to explore facilitators and barriers to positive clinical learning experiences. Practice experience is a vital component of every midwifery course. Course dissatisfaction and attrition of midwifery students has been attributed to sub-optimal practice experiences. Events or actions experienced by midwifery students that trigger dissatisfaction and attrition need to be identified. A meta-synthesis was based on that developed by Noblit and Hare. Students perceive workplaces as poorly prepared for their arrival and subsequent support. Students' experience in the practice setting is influenced by the existing workplace culture. Workplace culture influences institutional functioning and individuals within the culture. Enculturation of students into the midwifery culture and subsequent learning is affected by the support received. The practice experience of midwifery students was profoundly influenced by workplace culture. Students tended to have polarized accounts of their experience that were predominantly negative. To provide an optimal environment for midwifery students; midwifery managers and individual midwives need to be aware of the facilitators and barriers to midwifery student development in the practice setting. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

ESP On-line Activities: Theory and Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hélvia Pereira Pinto Bastos

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Reading electronic texts in a foreign language has become an important skill in most professional areas. Electronic literacy is a pedagogical activity which develops both the learner’s linguistic knowledge and his / her ability to communicate and do research on the Internet. This article shows the reasons and how this practice, based on sociocognitive principles and using reading guidelines given by the teaching of Languages for Specific Purposes, has been implemented in the English language programs at CEFET-Campos, RJ. Comments on different aspects of the experience are also provided.

Experiences of Practice-Based Learning in Phenomenographic Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Rovio-Johansson, Airi

2018-01-01

Purpose: The paper aims to examine, within the context of professional practice and learning, how designers collaboratively working in international teams experience practice-based learning and how such occasions contribute to professional development. Design/methodology/approach: The paper introduces the cooperation project between Tibro Training…

EXPERIENCES INITIATING SOFTWARE PRODUCT LINE ENGINEERING IN SMALL TEAMS WITH PULSE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mærsk-Møller, Hans Martin; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard

2010-01-01

Small teams of software engineers are represented both in small companies and semi-independent fractions in medium and large companies. Even though some results and experience papers have been published in the context of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), there is a lack of experience pa...... an existing methodology, PuLSETM, drew advantages of NetBeans Rich Client Platform, and based the product line on the existing application....

A healthful experience? A patient practice development journey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erna Snelgrove Clarke

2016-05-01

Full Text Available While facilitating the first practice development school for our local healthcare authorities in Nova Scotia, Canada, recently, I was simultaneously preparing for my second hip replacement. Focusing workshop participants on the principles of practice development, collaboration, inclusion and participation, I wondered if, in my upcoming journey through the healthcare system, I would experience the processes and outcomes we were promoting in the school. I would like to share this commentary as a reflection of my practice development experience as a patient. Overall, I received care that was inclusive and collaborative – as well as care that was provider focused and system driven. It goes without saying that as a patient, I felt valued when I was included and felt part of the team when my wishes and expectations were taken into consideration. For me, inclusion in care correlates with valuing that patient as a participant in their care journey, as set out by practice development principle 6 (Manley, McCormack and Wilson, 2008 (Table 1. My recent healthcare experience has led me to reflect further on the principles of practice development and its implications and challenges for local healthcare authorities. For example, my anaesthetist comes to mind as embodying practice development principles 2, 4, 6 and 8. The anaesthetist supported my wishes surrounding narcotics, and provided research- and practice-based evidence for each of his actions. Although the offering of additional narcotics is routine practice in hip surgery, I did not want this, so we discussed my expectations and developed a plan together that reflected my wishes. He actually chatted throughout the entire two-hour procedure. I was pleasantly surprised when he told me he provides care that focuses on the patient (practice development principle 1. Nevertheless, inconsistencies in the attention to person-centred practices across the microsystem reminded me that the system is not yet set

Experimental design and methodology for a new Moessbauer scan experiment: absorption line tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veiga, A.; Pasquevich, G. A.; Zelis, P. Mendoza; Sanchez, F. H.; Fernandez van Raap, M. B.; Martinez, N.

2009-01-01

A new experimental setup and methodology that allows the automatic tracking of a Moessbauer absorption line as its energy position varies during the experiment is introduced. As a test the sixth spectral line of FeSn 2 was tracked while temperature was varied between room temperature and a value slightly above its Neel temperature.

An off-line programming system for palletizing robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youdong Chen

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Off-line programming systems are essential tools for the effective use of palletizing robots. This article presents a dedicated off-line programming system for palletizing robots. According to the user practical requirements, there are many user-defined patterns that can’t be easily generated by commercial off-line robot programming systems. This study suggests a pattern generation method that users can easily define their patterns. The proposed method has been simulation and experiment. The results have attested the effectiveness of the proposed pattern generation method.

MONICA - an on-line track following microprocessor in high energy physics experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wermes, N.; Schildt, P.; Stuckenberg, H.J.

1980-02-01

In the storage ring experiments at the PETRA accelerator, large cylindrical detectors with thousands of channels are used. The maximum event rate is 500 000 per second, i.e. effective preprocessing is required. In the TASSO detector this is achieved in two steps: A fast trigger system is able to make within 1 microsecond a decision, whether it is a useful event or not. A positive decision starts an on-line track-following ECL computer together with fast associative memories and table look-up. It is a microprogrammed on-line track analyzer called MONICA, which follows up to 10 tracks within 1 millisecond and calculates the coordinates in the R,phi-plane. CAMAC equipment is used for the input of raw data and the output of the calculated track coordinates, speed of the system is ensured by the computer. An outline of the algorithm used and the features of MONICA are given. As far as we know MONICA is the first running on-line track following free programmable microporcessor used in storage ring experiments. (orig.)

Possibilities of magnet prism β-spectrometer application in on-line experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhmetov, K.M.; Arynov, S.

1996-01-01

The main attention is paid to works with particle beam in up-to-date nuclear investigations. The application of magnet prism β-spectrometer for works in 'on-line' experiments is considered in this article. The source chamber and detector chamber are distanted from each other on great distance (4 m) and are out of operation field of spectrometer. There is a reliable defence of operating field of device from external parasitic fields by the magnetic screens system. The additional advantage is a factor that source (target) and detector could replacing in specific directions about few centimetres during the device operating. The main β-spectroscopic performances of device are compared with Grenoble spectroscopic complex. The liner depression of prism spectrometer account for from 3,6 up to 6 m; light force - from 2·10 -4 up to 6·10 -4 up to 4π; operating resolving power - 0,02-0,05% by impulse. Investigation range is from several keV up to 3 MeV. There are all opportunities for installing of the on-line magnetic prism spectrometer on the U-150 accelerator and the WWR-K reactor. Spectrometer application in 'on-line' experiments gives possibility to obtain more wide information. 4 refs

Individual differences in eyewitness identification accuracy between sequential and simultaneous line-ups: consequences for police practice and jury decisions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominic Willmott

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Background Although previous research has indicated that sequential line-up procedures result in fewer mistaken identifications, this was found to be at the expense of accurate identifications more typical within simultaneous procedures. Hence, there remains a lack of agreement about which procedure is superior, and the interaction such procedures have with eyewitness confidence. The interaction between witness demographics and identification accuracy also remains unclear. Participants and procedure The opportunistic sample, consisting of 60 people from the general population, was divided randomly into two experimental conditions: simultaneous (SIM and sequential (SEQ. Participants in the sequential procedure observed 12 photographs, one at a time, deciding if they believed the suspect to be the person shown in the current photograph and unable to return to a given picture once they decided the individual shown was not the suspect described. Participants in the simultaneous condition were shown all 12 photographs concurrently and asked to determine which, if any, of the photographs was the suspect described. Results No significant differences were found in identification accuracy between line-up procedures, but significant differences in confidence levels between the two line-up procedures were found. Additionally, analysis of demographic features showed previous line-up experience to be significantly associated with identification accuracy. Conclusions The present research provides new insight into the interaction of eyewitness confidence between line-up techniques, offering an alternative explanation of witness confidence as well as procedural fairness. Evidence of practice effects increasing the accuracy of identification provides beneficial future implications for police line-up procedures and safer jury decisions, often reliant on identification evidence.

On-Line Digital Computer Applications in Gas Chromatography, An Undergraduate Analytical Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Perone, S. P.; Eagleston, J. F.

1971-01-01

Presented are some descriptive background materials and the directions for an experiment which provides an introduction to on-line computer instrumentation. Assumes students are familiar with the Purdue Real-Time Basic (PRTB) laboratory computer system. (PR)

Molecular line parameters for the atmospheric trace molecule spectroscopy experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, L. R.; Farmer, C. B.; Toth, R. A.; Rinsland, Curtis P.

1987-01-01

During its first mission in 1985 onboard Spacelab 3, the ATMOS (atmospheric trace molecule spectroscopy) instrument, a high speed Fourier transform spectrometer, produced a large number of high resolution infrared solar absorption spectra recorded in the occultation mode. The analysis and interpretation of these data in terms of composition, chemistry, and dynamics of the earth's upper atmosphere required good knowledge of the molecular line parameters for those species giving rise to the absorptions in the atmospheric spectra. This paper describes the spectroscopic line parameter database compiled for the ATMOS experiment and referenced in other papers describing ATMOS results. With over 400,000 entries, the linelist catalogs parameters of 46 minor and trace species in the 1-10,000/cm region.

HOPE: An On-Line Piloted Handling Qualities Experiment Data Book

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, E. B.; Proffitt, Melissa S.

2010-01-01

A novel on-line database for capturing most of the information obtained during piloted handling qualities experiments (either flight or simulated) is described. The Hyperlinked Overview of Piloted Evaluations (HOPE) web application is based on an open-source object-oriented Web-based front end (Ruby-on-Rails) that can be used with a variety of back-end relational database engines. The hyperlinked, on-line data book approach allows an easily-traversed way of looking at a variety of collected data, including pilot ratings, pilot information, vehicle and configuration characteristics, test maneuvers, and individual flight test cards and repeat runs. It allows for on-line retrieval of pilot comments, both audio and transcribed, as well as time history data retrieval and video playback. Pilot questionnaires are recorded as are pilot biographies. Simple statistics are calculated for each selected group of pilot ratings, allowing multiple ways to aggregate the data set (by pilot, by task, or by vehicle configuration, for example). Any number of per-run or per-task metrics can be captured in the database. The entire run metrics dataset can be downloaded in comma-separated text for further analysis off-line. It is expected that this tool will be made available upon request

The role of practical wisdom in nurse manager practice: why experience matters.

Science.gov (United States)

Cathcart, Eloise Balasco; Greenspan, Miriam

2013-10-01

To illustrate through the interpretation of one representative nurse manager's narrative how the methodology of practice articulation gives language to the ways practical wisdom develops in leadership practice and facilitates learning. Patricia Benner's corpus of research has demonstrated that reflection on clinical narratives comes closer than other pedagogical methods to replicating and enhancing the experiential learning required for the development of practical wisdom. Using Benner's methodology of practice articulation, 91 nurse managers wrote and read to a peer group a narrative of their lived experience in the role. The groups interpreted the narratives to extract the skilled knowledge and ethics embedded in the practice of the nurse manager authors. One narrative was chosen for this paper because it is a particularly clear exemplar of how practical wisdom develops in nurse manager practice. Articulating and reflecting on experiential learning led to an understanding of how practical wisdom developed in one nurse manager's practice. Interpretation of the narrative of one nurse manager illustrated how reflection on a complex ethical dilemma was a source of character development for the individual and the peer group. Describing and interpreting how practical wisdom develops for individual nurse managers can be a source of learning for the narrative author and other role incumbents who need to make sound decisions and take prudent action in ethically challenging situations. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Experiment Operating Specification for the Semiscale MOD-2C feedwater and steam line break experiment series. Appendix S-FS-6 and 7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boucher, T.J.; Owca, W.A.

1985-05-01

This document is the Semiscale MOD-2C feedwater and steam line break experiment series Experiment Operating Specification Appendix for tests S-FS-6 and S-FS-7. Test S-FS-6 is the third test in the series and simulates a 100% break in a steam generator bottom feedwater line downstream of the check valve accompanied by compounding factors (such as check valve failure, loss-of-offsite power at SIS and SIS delayed until low steam generator pressure signal). The test is terminated after plant stabilization and recovery procedures including unaffected loop steam and feed, pressurizer heater operation, pressurizer auxiliary spray operation, and normal charging/letdown operation. Test S-FS-7 is the fourth test in the series and simulates a 14.3% break in a steam generator bottom feedwater line downstream of the check valve, accompanied by compounding factors. The test is terminated after plant stabilization procedures including unaffected loop steam and feed, pressurizer heater operation, and normal charging/letdown operation. The test was followed by an affected loop secondary refill after isolating the break. The Appendix contains information on the major fluid systems, initial experiment conditions, experiment boundary conditions, and sequence of experiment events. Also included is a discussion of the scaling criteria and philosophy used to develop the experiment initial and boundary conditions and system configuration

Steam line rupture experiments with the PPOOLEX test facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laine, J.; Puustinen, M.

2008-07-01

The results of the steam line rupture experiment series in 2007 with the scaled down PPOOLEX test facility designed and constructed at Lappeenranta University of Technology are reported. The test facility is a closed stainless steel vessel divided into two compartments, dry well and wet well. Air was blown into the dry well compartment and from there through a DN200 blowdown pipe to the condensation pool. Altogether five experiments, each consisting of several blows (tests), were carried out. The main purpose of the experiment series was to study the initial phase of a postulated steam line break accident inside a BWR containment. Specifically, thermal stratification in the dry well compartment and ejection of water plug from the blowdown pipe were of interest. In addition, the effect of counterpressure on bubble dynamics was studied. A temperature difference of approximately 15 deg. C between the upper and lower part of the dry well was measured. In the wet well gas space, a temperature difference of more than 30 deg. C was registered. These were measured during the compression period of the tests. Towards the end of the tests the temperature differences tended to disappear. To get a more detailed picture of temperature distribution in the wet well, especially close to the water level, a dense net of measurements is required in future experiments. In longer experiments, heat conduction to structures and heat losses to surroundings should also be taken into account. Ejection of water plugs from the blowdown pipe did not cause notable loads to the structures due to the suppressing effect of the dry well compartment. The maximum measured pressure pulse at the pool bottom was only 10 kPa and the maximum strain amplitude at the pool bottom rounding was negligible both in axial and circumferential direction. As the counterpressure of the system increased, but the flow rate remained the same, the maximum size of the air bubbles at the blowdown pipe outlet got smaller and

Steam line rupture experiments with the PPOOLEX test facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laine, J.; Puustinen, M. (Lappeenranta Univ. of Technology, Nuclear Safety Research Unit (Finland))

2008-07-15

The results of the steam line rupture experiment series in 2007 with the scaled down PPOOLEX test facility designed and constructed at Lappeenranta University of Technology are reported. The test facility is a closed stainless steel vessel divided into two compartments, dry well and wet well. Air was blown into the dry well compartment and from there through a DN200 blowdown pipe to the condensation pool. Altogether five experiments, each consisting of several blows (tests), were carried out. The main purpose of the experiment series was to study the initial phase of a postulated steam line break accident inside a BWR containment. Specifically, thermal stratification in the dry well compartment and ejection of water plug from the blowdown pipe were of interest. In addition, the effect of counterpressure on bubble dynamics was studied. A temperature difference of approximately 15 deg. C between the upper and lower part of the dry well was measured. In the wet well gas space, a temperature difference of more than 30 deg. C was registered. These were measured during the compression period of the tests. Towards the end of the tests the temperature differences tended to disappear. To get a more detailed picture of temperature distribution in the wet well, especially close to the water level, a dense net of measurements is required in future experiments. In longer experiments, heat conduction to structures and heat losses to surroundings should also be taken into account. Ejection of water plugs from the blowdown pipe did not cause notable loads to the structures due to the suppressing effect of the dry well compartment. The maximum measured pressure pulse at the pool bottom was only 10 kPa and the maximum strain amplitude at the pool bottom rounding was negligible both in axial and circumferential direction. As the counterpressure of the system increased, but the flow rate remained the same, the maximum size of the air bubbles at the blowdown pipe outlet got smaller and

Can the identification of an idle line facilitate its removal? A comparison between a proposed guideline and clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Kara, Areeba; Johnson, Cynthia S; Murray, Michelle; Dillon, Jill; Hui, Siu L

2016-07-01

There are 250,000 cases of central line-associated blood stream infections in the United States annually, some of which may be prevented by the removal of lines that are no longer needed. To test the performance of criteria to identify an idle line as a guideline to facilitate its removal. Patients with central lines on the wards were identified. Criteria for justified use were defined. If none were met, the line was considered "idle." We proposed the guideline that a line may be removed the day following the first idle day and compared actual practice with our proposed guideline. One hundred twenty-six lines in 126 patients were observed. Eighty-three (65.9%) were peripherally inserted central catheters. Twenty-seven percent (n= 34) were placed for antibiotics. Seventy-six patients had lines removed prior to discharge. In these patients, the line was in place for 522 days, of which 32.7% were idle. The most common reasons to justify the line included parenteral antibiotics and meeting systemic inflammatory response (SIRS) criteria. In 11 (14.5%) patients, the line was removed prior to the proposed guideline. Most (n = 36, 47.4%) line removals were observed to be in accordance with our guideline. In another 29 (38.2%), line removal was delayed compared to our guideline. Idle days are common. Central line days may be reduced by the consistent daily reevaluation of a line's justification using defined criteria. The practice of routine central line placement for prolonged antibiotics and the inclusion of SIRS criteria to justify the line may need to be reevaluated. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2016;11:489-493. © 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine. © 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine.

Refugee experiences of general practice in countries of resettlement: a literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, I-Hao; Drillich, Ann; Schattner, Peter

2015-03-01

Refugees and asylum seekers often struggle to use general practice services in resettlement countries. To describe and analyse the literature on the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers using general practice services in countries of resettlement. Literature review using systematic search and narrative data extraction and synthesis methodologies. International, peer-reviewed literature published in English language between 1990 and 2013. Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CSA Sociological Abstracts, and CINAHL databases were searched using the terms: refugee, asylum seeker, experience, perception, doctor, physician, and general practitioner. Titles, abstracts and full texts were reviewed and were critically appraised. Narrative themes describing the refugee or asylum seeker's personal experiences of general practice services were identified, coded, and analysed. From 8722 papers, 85 were fully reviewed and 23 included. These represented the experiences of approximately 864 individuals using general practice services across 11 countries. Common narrative themes that emerged were: difficulties accessing general practice services, language barriers, poor doctor-patient relationships, and problems with the cultural acceptability of medical care. The difficulties refugees and asylum seekers experience accessing and using general practice services could be addressed by providing practical support for patients to register, make appointments, and attend services, and through using interpreters. Clinicians should look beyond refugee stereotypes to focus on the needs and expectations of the individual. They should provide clear explanations about unfamiliar clinical processes and treatments while offering timely management. © British Journal of General Practice 2015.

Brief or new: the benefits of on-line learning in occupational therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallew, Heather A

2004-01-01

SUMMARY This paper discusses the benefits of incorporating an on-line program, such as Blackboard, into occupational therapy education to enhance the learning experience. An occupational therapy department at a midwestern university piloted the use of Blackboard in two classes in the spring semester of the junior year. Students (n = 16) ranging in age from 20-28 years participated in the pilot study, which lasted a period of 12 weeks. The students were given various assignments on Blackboard involving discussions, answering questions related to the lecture topic, and sharing evidence-based practice. Overall, the student perceptions of incorporating Blackboard into a traditional classroom were positive. Eighty-one percent of the students felt that Blackboard was easy to access, 75% felt that they could share thoughts and stories that they would not necessarily have shared in a classroom setting, and 81% felt that Blackboard expanded on lecture topics and relevant practice information. Data suggest that on-line learning can enhance the educational experience by building upon student fieldwork experiences, evidence-based practice, discussion of key concepts in the profession, and clinical reasoning.

Medical student attachments in private practice – The experience ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Medical student attachments with family/general practitioners (GPs) in non-academic or private practice are a valued resource in the undergraduate teaching of Family Medicine. This study describes the experience and views of GPs in private practice with final-year medical student attachments from the ...

Experience gained upon industrial application of on-line activation analysis in flotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braun, H.; Riffel, F.

1979-01-01

At the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center an anlyzer was developed which allows continuous evaluation of the valuable minerals content in process streams. Experience is reported which has been gathered in several weeks of industrial application in a fluorspar flotation plant, the first industrial scale application of on-line activation analysis in Europe. The use has shown that with the equipment presented on-line monitoring with the desired accuracy is possible of all the strategically important points. This is of considerable importance for the economy of the process. (orig.) [de

First on-line positron experiments en route to pair-plasma creation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stanja, Juliane; Hergenhahn, Uwe; Stenson, Eve V. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik (Germany); Niemann, Holger; Sunn Pedersen, Thomas [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik (Germany); Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universitaet Greifswald (Germany); Saitoh, Haruhiko [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik (Germany); The University of Tokyo (Japan); Stoneking, Matthew R. [Lawrence University (United States); Hugenschmidt, Christoph; Piochacz, Christian [Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Schweikhard, Lutz [Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universitaet Greifswald (Germany)

2016-07-01

Electron-positron plasmas are predicted to show a fundamentally different behavior from traditional ion-electron plasmas, because of the equal masses of the two species. Using up to 10{sup 9} positrons per second provided by the NEPOMUC (Neutron-Induced Positron Source Munich) facility, the APEX/PAX team aims to create the first such plasma confined in a toroidal magnetic trap. Positron beam parameters as well as efficient injection and confinement schemes for both species in toroidal geometries are fundamental to the project. In this contribution we present results from first on-line positron experiments. Besides characterizing the NEPOMUC beam we conducted positron injection experiments into a dipole magnetic field configuration. Using static electric fields, a 5-eV positron beam was transported across magnetic field lines into the confinement region. With this method, up to 38% of the incoming particles reach the confinement region and make at least a 180 revolution around the magnet. Under dedicated experimental conditions confinement on the order of 1 ms was realized.

Subjective Experiences of Older Adults Practicing Taiji and Qigong

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Yang

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This article presents a qualitative study following a 6-month Taiji (T'ai Chi/Qigong (Ch'i Kung intervention for older adults. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews of eight selected participants who elected to continue practicing Taiji after the intervention ended, in order to explore their subjective experiences of Taiji's effects and their motivations for continuing to practice. We created a Layers Model to capture the significance and meaning of the multidimensionality of their reported experiences. Participants not only reported simple benefits along five dimensions of experience (physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual but also described complex multidimensional experiences. Overall findings indicate that participants derived a very wide variety of perceived benefits, the most meaningful being a felt sense of body-mind-spirit integration. Our results support the important role of qualitative studies in researching the effects of Taiji and Qigong.

Racial Fault-lines in “Baseball’s Great Experiment:” Black Perceptions, White Reactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henry D. Fetter

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This paper examines three facets of the breaking of major league baseball’s color line by Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947: the perception of blacks, the response of white players (whether teammates or opponents, and the reaction of baseball fans. By so doing, the paper will illuminate the fault-lines that characterized race relations within both the sport of baseball and the larger society as each was confronted with new challenges to long established policies and practices in the years after the Second World War.

Review of continuous ceramic-lined melter and associated experience at PNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buelt, J.L.; Chapman, C.C.; Barnes, S.M.; Dierks, R.D.

1979-01-01

Development of continuous, ceramic-lined melters applicable to immobilization of radioactive wastes began at PNL in 1973. A comprehensive program is curretly in progress. The melters constructed at PNL have incorporated remote and reliable design features necessary for radioactive use. The extensive experience with vitrification of simulated wastes has proven the continuous melter's applicability to radioactive waste immobilization

Stakeholder experiences with general practice pharmacist services: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Edwin C K; Stewart, Kay; Elliott, Rohan A; George, Johnson

2013-09-11

To explore general practice staff, pharmacist and patient experiences with pharmacist services in Australian general practice clinics within the Pharmacists in Practice Study. Qualitative study. Two general practice clinics in Melbourne, Australia, in which pharmacists provided medication reviews, patient and staff education, medicines information and quality assurance services over a 6-month period. Patients, practice staff and pharmacists. Semi-structured telephone interviews with patients, focus groups with practice staff and semi-structured interviews and periodic narrative reports with practice pharmacists. Data were analysed thematically and theoretical frameworks used to explain the findings. 34 participants were recruited: 18 patients, 14 practice staff (9 general practitioners, 4 practice nurses, 1 practice manager) and 2 practice pharmacists. Five main themes emerged: environment; professional relationships and integration; pharmacist attributes; staff and patient benefits and logistical challenges. Participants reported that colocation and the interdisciplinary environment of general practice enabled better communication and collaboration compared to traditional community and consultant pharmacy services. Participants felt that pharmacists needed to possess certain attributes to ensure successful integration, including being personable and proactive. Attitudinal, professional and logistical barriers were identified but were able to be overcome. The findings were explained using D'Amour's structuration model of collaboration and Roger's diffusion of innovation theory. This is the first qualitative study to explore the experiences of general practice staff, pharmacists and patients on their interactions within the Australian general practice environment. Participants were receptive of colocated pharmacist services, and various barriers and facilitators to integration were identified. Future research should investigate the feasibility and sustainability of

Connecting to Experience: High-Impact Practices for Leadership Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Priest, Kerry L; Clegorne, Nicholas A

2015-01-01

Leadership educators can leverage high-impact experiences to enhance student leadership development. This chapter describes three key practices--sociocultural conversations with peers, mentoring, and membership in off-campus organizations--as levers of leadership learning. Illustrations of the practice in context and reflections from practitioners and students are also included. The chapter concludes with considerations of context, developmental readiness, and best practices of experiential education. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Innovative Approach to the Organization of Future Social Workers' Practical Training: Foreign Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Polishchuk, Vira; Slozanska, Hanna

2014-01-01

Innovative approaches to practical training of future social workers in higher educational establishments have been defined. Peculiarities of foreign experience of social workers' practical training in higher educational establishments have been analyzed. Experience of organizing practice for bachelor students studying at "Social Work"…

Effects of RN Age and Experience on Transformational Leadership Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Herman, Susan; Gish, Mary; Rosenblum, Ruth; Herman, Michael

2017-06-01

This study reported the evolution of transformational leadership (TL) practices and behaviors across years of age, management experience, and professional nursing practice within a professional nursing leadership organization. Recent studies of CNO TL found valuations peak near age 60 years. This study reported on a wider range of management positions, correlating years of RN practice and management experience and age to TL metrics. This study used Kouzes and Posner's Leadership Practices Inventory-Self-Assessment (LPI-S) to survey a nursing leadership organization, the Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL). Anonymous responses were analyzed to identify leadership trends in age and years of professional service. On average, LPI-S metrics of leadership skills advance through years of management, RN experience, and age. The TL scores are statistically higher in most LPI-S categories for those with more than 30 years of RN or management experience. Decade-averaged LPI-S TL metrics in the ACNL survey evolve linearly throughout age before peaking in the decade from age 60 to 69 years. A similar evolution of TL metrics is seen in decades of either years of management experience or years of RN experience. Transformational leadership increased with nursing maturity particularly for LPI-S categories of "inspire a shared vision," "challenge the process," and "enable others to act." In the ACNL population studied, decade-averaged leadership metrics advanced. Leadership evolution with age in the broader RN population peaked in age bracket 60 to 69 years. The LPI-S averages declined when older than 70 years, coinciding with a shift from full-time work toward retirement and part-time employment.

Development of real-time on-line vibration testing system for seismic experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horiuchi, T.; Nakagawa, M.; Kametani, M.

1993-01-01

An on-line vibration testing method is being developed for seismic experiments. This method combines computer simulation and an actuator for vibration testing of structures. A real-time, on-line testing system was developed to improve the method. In the system, the timing of the vibration testing and the computer simulation are the same. This allows time-dependent reaction forces, such as damping force, to be immediately considered in the computer simulation. The real-time system has many requirements, such as complicated matrix calculations within a small time step, and communication with outer devices like sensors and actuators through A/D and D/A converters. These functions arc accomplished by using a newly-developed, real-time controller that employs a parallel processing technique. A small structural model is used to demonstrate the system. The reliability and applicability of the system for seismic experiments can be demonstrated by comparing the results of the system and a shaking table, which are in almost agreement. (author)

Medical students, early general practice placements and positive supervisor experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, Margaret; Upham, Susan; King, David; Dick, Marie-Louise; van Driel, Mieke

2018-03-01

Introduction Community-based longitudinal clinical placements for medical students are becoming more common globally. The perspective of supervising clinicians about their experiences and processes involved in maximising these training experiences has received less attention than that of students. Aims This paper explores the general practitioner (GP) supervisor perspective of positive training experiences with medical students undertaking urban community-based, longitudinal clinical placements in the early years of medical training. Methods Year 2 medical students spent a half-day per week in general practice for either 13 or 26 weeks. Transcribed semi-structured interviews from a convenience sample of participating GPs were thematically analysed by two researchers, using a general inductive approach. Results Identified themes related to the attributes of participating persons and organisations: GPs, students, patients, practices and their supporting institution; GPs' perceptions of student development; and triggers enhancing the experience. A model was developed to reflect these themes. Conclusions Training experiences were enhanced for GPs supervising medical students in early longitudinal clinical placements by the synergy of motivated students and keen teachers with support from patients, practice staff and academic institutions. We developed an explanatory model to better understand the mechanism of positive experiences. Understanding the interaction of factors enhancing teaching satisfaction is important for clinical disciplines wishing to maintain sustainable, high quality teaching.

Practical algorithms for simulation and reconstruction of digital in-line holograms.

Science.gov (United States)

Latychevskaia, Tatiana; Fink, Hans-Werner

2015-03-20

Here we present practical methods for simulation and reconstruction of in-line digital holograms recorded with plane and spherical waves. The algorithms described here are applicable to holographic imaging of an object exhibiting absorption as well as phase-shifting properties. Optimal parameters, related to distances, sampling rate, and other factors for successful simulation and reconstruction of holograms are evaluated and criteria for the achievable resolution are worked out. Moreover, we show that the numerical procedures for the reconstruction of holograms recorded with plane and spherical waves are identical under certain conditions. Experimental examples of holograms and their reconstructions are also discussed.

Experience Practices on Decontamination Activity in NPP Decommissioning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoon, Suk Bon; Kim, Jeongju; Sohn, Wook [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

Decommissioning of a nuclear power plant (NPP) involves various technical and administrative activities for a utility to terminate its license, which allows the plant site to be released from the regulatory control (site release). Decontamination activity in NPP decommissioning is one of the main technical activities to be performed during the decommissioning. The decontamination at decommissioning sites is usually performed due to several reasons such as reducing personnel dose and disposal costs, and cleanup to meet license termination requirements by using physical or chemical removal techniques proven through the previous experience practices. This paper introduces the best and worst practices for the decontamination activities collected from the decommissioning operational experiences through the implementation of nuclear decommissioning projects around the world. Review of the experiences of decontamination shows that it is important to conduct an advanced planning for optimized implementation of decontamination taking into considering site specific conditions such as operating time, reactor type, system, and so on. Also, a review of newer decontamination methods is necessary to safely and economically decommission the nuclear facility.

Medical students' experience in practical skills is far from stakeholders' expectations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ringsted, Charlotte; Schroeder, Torben V.; Henriksen, Jørgen

2001-01-01

This study compares medical graduates' experience in practical skills with a range of stakeholders' expectations. A questionnaire listing 58 practical skills was sent out to a group of graduating medical students. The medical students were asked to indicate their experience in each skill during...... medical school. A similar questionnaire was sent out to five groups of stakeholders asking for their expectations regarding graduates' experience. The stakeholders were: faculty members; consultants at clinical departments with interns in training; general practitioners; nurses; recently graduated junior...... doctors. A total of 472 questionnaires were sent out and 315 (67%) were returned. Medical graduates showed substantial variation in level of experience, and their experience was substantially lower than the expectations of the stakeholders. Nurses and junior doctors tended to have higher expectations...

Magnetic field line reconnection experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gekelman, W.; Stenzel, R.L.; Wild, N.

1982-01-01

A laboratory experiment concerned with the basic physics of magnetic field line reconnection is discussed. Stimulated by important processes in space plasmas and anomalous transport in fusion plasmas the work addresses the following topics: Dynamic magnetic fields in a high beta plasma, magnetic turbulence, plasma dynamics and energy transport. First, the formation of magnetic neutral sheets, tearing and island coalescence are shown. Nonstationary magnetic fluctuations are statistically evaluated displaying the correlation tensor in the #betta#-k domain for mode identification. Then, the plasma properties are analyzed with particular emphasis on transport processes. Although the classical fluid flow across the separatrix can be observed, the fluctuation processes strongly modify the plasma dynamics. Direct measurements of the fluid force density and ion acceleration indicate the presence of an anomalous scattering process characterized by an effective scattering tensor. Turbulence also enhances the plasma resistivity by one to two orders of magnitude. Measurements of the three-dimensional electron distribution function using a novel energy analyzer exhibit the formation of runaway electrons in the current sheet. Associated micro-instabilities are observed. Finally, a macroscopic disruptive instability of the current sheet is observed. Excess magnetic field energy is converted at a double layer into particle kinetic energy and randomized through beam-plasma instabilities. These laboratory results are compared with related observations in space and fusion plasmas. (Auth.)

Experience, theory, and practical wisdom in teaching and teacher education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lunenberg, Mieke; Korthagen, Fred

In this contribution, we discuss what it means to be a professional teacher with practical wisdom, and how practical wisdom is related to theory and experience. These questions are especially relevant as nowadays, in many countries, teacher education becomes more school?based. Building on theories

Experience, theory, and practical wisdom in teaching and teacher education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lunenberg, Mieke; Korthagen, Fred

2009-01-01

In this contribution, we discuss what it means to be a professional teacher with practical wisdom, and how practical wisdom is related to theory and experience. These questions are especially relevant as nowadays, in many countries, teacher education becomes more school-based. Building on theories

The Design, Experience and Practice of Networked Learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

. The Design, Experience and Practice of Networked Learning will prove indispensable reading for researchers, teachers, consultants, and instructional designers in higher and continuing education; for those involved in staff and educational development, and for those studying post graduate qualifications...

Exploring nursing students’ experience of peer learning in clinical practice

Science.gov (United States)

Ravanipour, Maryam; Bahreini, Masoud; Ravanipour, Masoumeh

2015-01-01

Background: Peer learning is an educational process wherein someone of the same age or level of experience level interacts with other students interested in the same topic. There is limited evidence specifically focusing on the practical use of peer learning in Iran. The aim of this study was to explore nursing students’ experiences of peer learning in clinical practice. Materials and Methods: A qualitative content analysis was conducted. Focus groups were used to find the students’ experiences about peerlearning. Twenty-eight baccalaureate nursing students at Bushehr University of Medical Sciences were selected purposively, and were arranged in four groups of seven students each. The focus group interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview schedule. All interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using conventional content analysis method. Results: The analysis identified four themes: Paradoxical dualism, peer exploitation, first learning efficacy, and socialization practice. Gained advantages and perceived disadvantages created paradoxical dualism, and peer exploitation resulted from peer selection and peer training. Conclusion: Nursing students reported general satisfaction concerning peer learning due to much more in-depth learning with little stress than conventional learning methods. Peer learning is a useful method for nursing students for practicing educational leadership and learning the clinical skills before they get a job. PMID:26097860

The use of super-selective mesenteric embolisation as a first-line management of acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bryan Soh, MBBS, BBiomedSci, PGDipSurgAnat

2017-05-01

Conclusion: Super-selective mesenteric embolisation is a viable, safe and effective first line management for localised LGIB. Our results overall compare favourably with the published experiences of other institutions. It is now accepted first-line practice at our institution to manage localised LGIB with embolisation.

Standard practice for design and use of safety alert system for hazardous work locations in the coatings and lining industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1984-01-01

This practice covers a safety alert system for hazardous work locations and materials for the coatings and lining application industry. This practice is designed for multi-employer work sites. Limitations--This practice does not identify specific hazardous materials or work locations but provides a means for rating each. This standard may involve hazardous materials, operations, and equipment

Professional Learning Experiences and Administrator Practice: Is There a Connection?

Science.gov (United States)

Bickmore, Dana L.

2012-01-01

This study identified the formal and informal professional learning experiences in which school administrators engaged and the relationship between these professional learning experiences and administrator practice. The researcher developed an instrument that solicited school administrators' engagement and perceived value of formal and informal…

TU-CD-BRD-01: Making Incident Learning Practical and Useful: Challenges and Previous Experiences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ezzell, G.

2015-01-01

It has long been standard practice in radiation oncology to report internally when a patient’s treatment has not gone as planned and to report events to regulatory agencies when legally required. Most potential errors are caught early and never affect the patient. Quality assurance steps routinely prevent errors from reaching the patient, and these “near misses” are much more frequent than treatment errors. A growing number of radiation oncology facilities have implemented incident learning systems to report and analyze both errors and near misses. Using the term “incident learning” instead of “event reporting” emphasizes the need to use these experiences to change the practice and make future errors less likely and promote an educational, non-punitive environment. There are challenges in making such a system practical and effective. Speakers from institutions of different sizes and practice environments will share their experiences on how to make such a system work and what benefits their clinics have accrued. Questions that will be addressed include: How to create a system that is easy for front line staff to access How to motivate staff to report How to promote the system as positive and educational and not punitive or demeaning How to organize the team for reviewing and responding to reports How to prioritize which reports to discuss in depth How not to dismiss the rest How to identify underlying causes How to design corrective actions and implement change How to develop useful statistics and analysis tools How to coordinate a departmental system with a larger risk management system How to do this without a dedicated quality manager Some speakers’ experience is with in-house systems and some will share experience with the AAPM/ASTRO national Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System (RO-ILS). Reports intended to be of value nationally need to be comprehensible to outsiders; examples of useful reports will be shown. There will be ample time set

TU-CD-BRD-01: Making Incident Learning Practical and Useful: Challenges and Previous Experiences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ezzell, G. [Mayo Clinic Arizona (United States)

2015-06-15

It has long been standard practice in radiation oncology to report internally when a patient’s treatment has not gone as planned and to report events to regulatory agencies when legally required. Most potential errors are caught early and never affect the patient. Quality assurance steps routinely prevent errors from reaching the patient, and these “near misses” are much more frequent than treatment errors. A growing number of radiation oncology facilities have implemented incident learning systems to report and analyze both errors and near misses. Using the term “incident learning” instead of “event reporting” emphasizes the need to use these experiences to change the practice and make future errors less likely and promote an educational, non-punitive environment. There are challenges in making such a system practical and effective. Speakers from institutions of different sizes and practice environments will share their experiences on how to make such a system work and what benefits their clinics have accrued. Questions that will be addressed include: How to create a system that is easy for front line staff to access How to motivate staff to report How to promote the system as positive and educational and not punitive or demeaning How to organize the team for reviewing and responding to reports How to prioritize which reports to discuss in depth How not to dismiss the rest How to identify underlying causes How to design corrective actions and implement change How to develop useful statistics and analysis tools How to coordinate a departmental system with a larger risk management system How to do this without a dedicated quality manager Some speakers’ experience is with in-house systems and some will share experience with the AAPM/ASTRO national Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System (RO-ILS). Reports intended to be of value nationally need to be comprehensible to outsiders; examples of useful reports will be shown. There will be ample time set

Millimeter-Gap Magnetically Insulated Transmission Line Power Flow Experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hutsel, Brian Thomas [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Stoltzfus, Brian S. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Fowler, William E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); LeChien, Keith R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Mazarakis, Michael G. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Moore, James K. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Mulville, Thomas D. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Savage, Mark E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Stygar, William A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); McKenney, John L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Jones, Peter A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); MacRunnels, Diego J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Long, Finis W. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Porter, John L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2014-09-01

An experiment platform has been designed to study vacuum power flow in magnetically insulated transmission lines (MITLs). The platform was driven by the 400-GW Mykonos-V accelerator. The experiments conducted quantify the current loss in a millimeter-gap MITL with respect to vacuum conditions in the MITL for two different gap distances, 1.0 and 1.3 mm. The current loss for each gap was measured for three different vacuum pump down times. As a ride along experiment, multiple shots were conducted with each set of hardware to determine if there was a conditioning effect to increase current delivery on subsequent shots. The experiment results revealed large differences in performance for the 1.0 and 1.3 mm gaps. The 1.0 mm gap resulted in current loss of 40%-60% of peak current. The 1.3 mm gap resulted in current losses of less than 5% of peak current. Classical MITL models that neglect plasma expansion predict that there should be zero current loss, after magnetic insulation is established, for both of these gaps. The experiments result s indicate that the vacuum pressure or pump down time did not have a significant effect on the measured current loss at vacuum pressures between 1e-4 and 1e-5 Torr. Additionally, there was not repeatable evidence of a conditioning effect that reduced current loss for subsequent full-energy shots on a given set of hardware. It should be noted that the experiments conducted likely did not have large loss contributions due to ion emission from the anode due to the relatively small current densi-ties (25-40 kA/cm) in the MITL that limited the anode temperature rise due to ohmic heating. The results and conclusions from these experiments may have limited applicability to MITLs of high current density (>400 kA/cm) used in the convolute and load region of the Z which experience temperature increases of >400° C and generate ion emission from anode surfaces.

Autopsy practice in forensic pathology - Evidence-based or experience-based?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Colville-Ebeling, Bonnie; Freeman, Michael; Banner, Jytte

2014-01-01

Current autopsy practice in forensic pathology is to a large extent based on experience and individual customary practices as opposed to evidence and consensus based practices. As a result there is the potential for substantial variation in how knowledge is applied in each case. In the present case......-gathering and the use of check lists specific to certain injury causes are likely to result in less deviation from evidence-based practices in forensic pathology. Pre-autopsy data-gathering and check lists will help ensure a higher degree of standardization in autopsy reports thus enhancing the quality and accuracy...

First-line managers' experiences of alternative modes of funding in elderly care in Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Antonsson, Helen; Korjonen, Susanne Eriksson; Rosengren, Kristina

2012-09-01

The aim of this study was to describe first-line managers' experiences of alternative modes of funding elderly care in two communities in western Sweden. A growing elderly population demands alternative modes of funding elderly care for better outcomes for patients and better efficiency as it is publicly funded through taxation. The study comprised a total of eight semi-structured interviews with first-line managers working within elderly care. The interviews were analysed using manifest qualitative content analysis. Respect for the individuals was a main concern in the study. One category, quality improvement, and four subcategories freedom of choice, organisational structure, quality awareness and market forces effects were identified to describe first-line managers' experiences of the operation of elderly care. Quality improvement was an important factor to deal with when elderly care was operated in different organisational perspectives, either private or public. The first-line manager is a key person for developing a learning organisation that encourages both staff, clients and their relatives to improve the organisation. Moreover, person-centred care strengthens the client's role in the organisation, which is in line with the government's goal for the quality improvement of elderly care. However, further research is needed on how quality improvement could be developed when different caregivers operate in the same market in order to improve care from the elderly perspective. This study highlights alternative modes of funding elderly care. The economical perspectives should not dominate without taking care of quality improvement when the operation of elderly care is planned and implemented. Strategies such as a learning organisational structure built on person-centred care could create quality improvement in elderly care. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Status of the proton and electron transfer lines for the AWAKE Experiment at CERN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmidt, J.S., E-mail: janet.schmidt@cern.ch [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Bauche, J. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Biskup, B. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Czech Technical University, Prague (Czech Republic); Bracco, C.; Doebert, S.; Goddard, B.; Gschwendtner, E.; Jensen, L.K.; Jones, O.R.; Mazzoni, S.; Meddahi, M.; Pepitone, K.; Petrenko, A.; Velotti, F.M.; Vorozhtsov, A. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)

2016-09-01

The AWAKE project at CERN is planned to study proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration with an externally injected electron beam. Therefore two transfer lines are being designed in order to provide the proton beam from the SPS and the electron beam from an RF gun to the plasma cell. The commissioning of the proton line will take place in 2016 for the first phase of the experiment, which is focused on the self-modulation of a 12 cm long proton bunch in the plasma. The electron line will be added for the second phase of AWAKE in 2017, when the wakefield will be probed with an electron beam of 10–20 MeV/c. The challenge for these transfer lines lies in the parallel operation of the proton, electron and laser beam used to ionize the plasma and seed the self-modulation. These beams, of different characteristics, need to be synchronized and positioned for optimized injection conditions into the wakefield. This task requires great flexibility in the transfer line optics. The status of these designs will be presented in this paper.

Operational experience with synchrotron light interferometers for CEBAF experimental beam lines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pavel Chevtsov

2006-10-24

Beam size and energy spread monitoring systems based on Synchrotron Light Interferometers (SLI) have been in operations at Jefferson Lab for several years. A non-invasive nature and a very high (a few mm) resolution of SLI make these instruments valuable beam diagnostic tools for the CEBAF accelerator. This presentation describes the evolution of the Synchrotron Light Interferometer at Jefferson Lab and highlights our extensive experience in the installation and operation of the SLI for CEBAF experimental beam lines.

Off-line data processing and analysis for the GERDA experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agostini, M; Pandola, L; Zavarise, P

2012-01-01

Gerda is an experiment designed to look for the neutrinoless double beta decay of 76 Ge. The experiment uses an array of high-purity germanium detectors (enriched in 76 Ge) directly immersed in liquid argon. Gerda is presently operating eight enriched coaxial detectors (approximately 15 kg of 76 Ge) and about 25 new custom-made enriched BEGe detectors will be deployed in the next phase (additional 20kg of 76 Ge). The paper describes the Gerda off-line analysis of the high-purity germanium detector data. Firstly we present the signal processing flow, focusing on the digital filters and on the algorithms used. Secondly we discuss the rejection of non-physical events and the data quality monitoring. The analysis is performed completely with the Gerda software framework (Gelatio), designed to support a multi-channel processing and to perform a modular analysis of digital signals.

The experiences of student nurses on placements with practice nurses: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gale, Julia; Ooms, Ann; Sharples, Kath; Marks-Maran, Di

2016-01-01

To prepare the registered nurse of tomorrow in the United Kingdom (UK) to care for patients in general practice (GP)-led services, today's student nurses need to have the opportunity to experience placements with practice nurses to enable them to make positive career choices to become practice nurses in the future. The role of the practice nurse is described in the article. As a pilot project, seventeen students undertook placements with practice nurses in one of seven GP practices selected by the London GP Deanery and the university as having fulfilled the criteria to support student nurses in placements. A mentorship preparation programme was provided to prepare practice nurses for mentoring these students. An evaluation study was undertaken of this pilot project. Findings showed that students were highly positive about the experience; the majority rated this placement as being as good as or better than previous placement experiences. The evaluation also explored the impact on student learning and the value that the placement had. There was a positive impact on students' knowledge and skills in certain clinical areas especially related to health promotion. Students also indicated that they would like to have additional placements with practice nurses and would consider a career as a practice nurse in the future. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Line lessons: Enbridge's Northern Line provides valuable information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ross, E.

2000-02-01

Experiences gained from the 14-year old Norman Wells crude oil pipeline in the Northwest Territories may provide operators with valuable insights in natural gas pipeline developments in northern Canada. The Norman Wells line is the first and only long-distance pipeline in North America buried in permafrost and has proven to be a veritable laboratory on pipeline behaviour in extremely cold climates which also happen to be discontinuous at the same time. The line was built by Enbridge with a 'limit state' design, i e. it was built to move within the permafrost within certain limits, the amount of movement depending upon the area in which the line was built. This technology, which is still cutting edge, allows the pipeline to react to the freeze-thaw cycle without being affected by the heaving and resettling. The knowledge gained from the Norman Wells Line has come in very useful in the more recent AltaGas Services project transporting natural gas from a nearby well into the the town of Inuvik. Enbridge also contributed to the development of various pipeline inspection tools such as the 'Geopig' which travels within the pipeline and can pinpoint the location of problems practically within a matter of inches, and the 'Rolligon' an amphibious vehicle with five-foot diameter rubber tires that displaces only two pounds per square inch, leaving barely a track as it travels along the right-of-way during times other than winter.

Operating experience with LAMPF main beam lines instrumentation and control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

van Dyck, O.B.; Harvey, A.; Howard, H.H.; Roeder, D.L.

1975-01-01

Instrumentation and control (I and C) for the Los Alamos Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) main beam line is based upon central computer control through remote stations which provide input and output to most devices. Operating experience shows that the ability of the computer to give high-quality graphical presentation of the measurements enhances operator performance and instrument usefulness. Experience also shows that operator efficiency degrades rapidly with increasing instrument response time, that is, with increasing delay between the time a control is changed and the result can be observed. For this reason, instrumentation upgrade includes speeding up data acquisition and display times to under 10 s. Similarly, television-viewed phosphors are being retained where possible since their instantaneous response is very useful. Other upgrading of the instrumentation system is planned to improve data accuracy, reliability, redundancy, and instrument radiation tolerance. Past experience is being applied in adding or relocating devices to simplify tuning procedures. (U.S.)

Pedagogical Practices and Students' Experiences in Eritrean Higher Education Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Tsegay, Samson Maekele; Zegergish, Mulgeta Zemuy; Ashraf, Muhammad Azeem

2018-01-01

Using semi-structured interview and review of documents, this study analyzes the pedagogical practices and students' experiences in Eritrean Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The study indicated that pedagogical practices are affected by instructors' pedagogical skills and perceptions, and the teaching-learning environment. Moreover, the…

A study for the practical methods and evaluations for the on-line maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chigusa, Naoki; Ogami, Takahiro

2010-01-01

For planning and enforcing the On Line Maintenance (OLM) in the near future, we should take care of keeping a reasonable balance between the degree of risk increase and the task volume equalization. In this paper, the current status of studying for the OLM introducing on Japanese utilities is described. The planning approach of OLM is examined on the assumption that planned OLM can be carried out. The practical methods and evaluations for the OLM are described, and the trial evaluation for this method is also described. (author)

Experiences of Supervision at Practice Placement Sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lesley Diack

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Whilst placement supervision and clinical education programmes are of significant value in shaping the behaviours of undergraduate healthcare students, appropriate provisions which are efficacious to the learner are somewhat lacking, particularly for students studying on UK MPharm programmes. Objectives. To explore and explain the value of placement supervision to the personal development and employability of undergraduate pharmacy students. Methods. Students participated in a week long community pharmacy pilot programme, a result of a collaborative effort between the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences and a small consortium of community pharmacies. Students and stakeholders were asked to evaluate their experiences via separate questionnaires which had been developed to elicit views and attitudes. Key Findings. Feedback from students and stakeholders towards the experience was overwhelmingly positive with multiple benefits being reported. Of particular prominence was the emphasis in student feedback on the value of placement supervision to their professional and personal development. Findings were indicative of a development in clinical practice proficiencies, core skills, and improvement in decision-making practice. Conclusions. The benefits of clinical supervision to the professional and personal development of MPharm students are well documented, although attracting professional pharmacy supervisors is proving a problematic task for educational providers in the UK.

Investigating the experiences of New Zealand MRI technologists: Exploring intra-orbital metallic foreign body safety practices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacobs, Philippa K [River Radiology, Victoria Clinic, 750 Victoria Street, Hamilton, Waikato (New Zealand); Henwood, Suzanne [Unitec - Medical Imaging, Unitec Ratanui Street Henderson, Auckland (New Zealand); River Radiology, Victoria Clinic, 750 Victoria Street, Hamilton, Waikato (New Zealand)

2013-12-15

Qualitative research is lacking regarding the experiences of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologists and their involvement in workplace safety practices. This article provides a gateway to explore, describe and document experiences of MRI technologists in New Zealand (NZ) pertaining to intra-orbital metallic foreign body (IMFB) safety practices. This phenomenological study describes the experiences of seven MRI technologists all with a minimum of 5 years' NZ work experience in MRI. The MRI technologists were interviewed face-to-face regarding their professional IMFB workplace experiences in order to explore historical, current and potential issues. Findings demonstrated that aspects of organization and administration are fundamentally important to MRI technologists. Varying levels of education and knowledge, as well as experience and skills gained, have significantly impacted on MRI technologists’ level of confidence and control in IMFB practices. Participants’ descriptions of their experiences in practice regarding decision-making capabilities further highlight the complexity of these themes. A model was developed to demonstrate the interrelated nature of the themes and the complexity of the situation in totality. Findings of this study have provided insight into the experiences of MRI technologists pertaining to IMFB safety practices and highlighted inconsistencies. It is hoped that these findings will contribute to and improve the level of understanding of MRI technologists and the practices and protocols involved in IMFB safety screening. The scarcity of available literature regarding IMFB safety practices highlights that more research is required to investigate additional aspects that could improve MRI technologists’ experiences.

Investigating the experiences of New Zealand MRI technologists: Exploring intra-orbital metallic foreign body safety practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, Philippa K; Henwood, Suzanne

2013-01-01

Qualitative research is lacking regarding the experiences of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologists and their involvement in workplace safety practices. This article provides a gateway to explore, describe and document experiences of MRI technologists in New Zealand (NZ) pertaining to intra-orbital metallic foreign body (IMFB) safety practices. This phenomenological study describes the experiences of seven MRI technologists all with a minimum of 5 years' NZ work experience in MRI. The MRI technologists were interviewed face-to-face regarding their professional IMFB workplace experiences in order to explore historical, current and potential issues. Findings demonstrated that aspects of organization and administration are fundamentally important to MRI technologists. Varying levels of education and knowledge, as well as experience and skills gained, have significantly impacted on MRI technologists’ level of confidence and control in IMFB practices. Participants’ descriptions of their experiences in practice regarding decision-making capabilities further highlight the complexity of these themes. A model was developed to demonstrate the interrelated nature of the themes and the complexity of the situation in totality. Findings of this study have provided insight into the experiences of MRI technologists pertaining to IMFB safety practices and highlighted inconsistencies. It is hoped that these findings will contribute to and improve the level of understanding of MRI technologists and the practices and protocols involved in IMFB safety screening. The scarcity of available literature regarding IMFB safety practices highlights that more research is required to investigate additional aspects that could improve MRI technologists’ experiences

The proof-of-concept experiment for the spiral line induction accelerator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Putnam, S D; Bailey, V L; Smith, J; Lidestri, J; Thomas, H; Lackner, H; Nishimoto, H [Pulse Sciences, Inc., San Leandro, CA (United States)

1997-12-31

A proof-of-concept experiment (POCE) for the Spiral Line Induction Accelerator (SLIA) is underway at Pulse Sciences, Inc. to demonstrate a new compact high current ({>=} few kiloamperes) recirculating induction accelerator for high power ({>=} 100 kW) commercial processing and other applications. Hardware has been fabricated to generate 9.5 MeV electron beams at 2 and 10 kA by recirculating the beam for two passes through each of two 1.5 MeV accelerating units. Initial experiments have demonstrated acceleration of 2 and 10 kA beams to 5.5 MeV by transport around a complete turn with two passes through a single accelerating unit and work is currently in progress to complete the full POCE. Experimental results to date are reported. (author). 5 figs., 14 refs.

Flexible software process lines in practice: A metamodel-based approach to effectively construct and manage families of software process models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kuhrmann, Marco; Ternité, Thomas; Friedrich, Jan

2017-01-01

Process flexibility and adaptability is frequently discussed, and several proposals aim to improve software processes for a given organization-/project context. A software process line (SPrL) is an instrument to systematically construct and manage variable software processes, by combining pre-def......: A metamodel-based approach to effectively construct and manage families of software process models [Ku16]. This paper was published as original research article in the Journal of Systems and Software.......Process flexibility and adaptability is frequently discussed, and several proposals aim to improve software processes for a given organization-/project context. A software process line (SPrL) is an instrument to systematically construct and manage variable software processes, by combining pre...... to construct flexible SPrLs and show its practical application in the German V-Modell XT. We contribute a proven approach that is presented as metamodel fragment for reuse and implementation in further process modeling approaches. This summary refers to the paper Flexible software process lines in practice...

Operational experience with the GEM detector assembly lines for the CMS forward muon upgrade

CERN Document Server

Vai, Ilaria

2017-01-01

The CMS Collaboration has been developing large-area Triple-GEM detectors to be installed in the muon endcap regions of the CMS experiment in 2019 to maintain forward muon trigger and tracking performance at the HL-LHC. Ten pre-production detectors were built at CERN to commission the first assembly line and the quality controls. These were installed in the CMS detector in early 2017 and are currently participating in the 2017 LHC run. The collaboration has prepared several additional assembly and quality control lines for distributed mass production of 160 GEM detectors at various sites worldwide. During 2017, these additional production sites have been optimizing construction techniques and quality control procedures and validating them against common specifications by constructing additional pre-production detectors. Using the specific experience from one production site as an example, we discuss how the quality controls make use of independent hardware and trained personnel to ensure fast and reliable pro...

Experience with Fingolimod in Clinical Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Hersh, Carrie M.; Hara-Cleaver, Claire; Rudick, Richard A.; Cohen, Jeffrey A.; Bermel, Robert A.; Ontaneda, Daniel

2015-01-01

Aim To report experience with fingolimod in clinical practice. Design/Methods Patients in an academic medical center who were prescribed fingolimod from October 2010 to August 2011 were identified through the electronic medical record and followed for 12 months after fingolimod initiation. Adverse effects, clinical measures, MRI data, and quality of life measures were assessed. Results Three hundred seventeen patients started fingolimod. Eleven patients were treatment naïve (3.5%) and 76 (24.0%) had remote disease modifying therapy use prior to fingolimod. One hundred fifty-one (47.6%) switched because of patient preference and 79 (24.9%) switched because of breakthrough disease. About 11.6% transitioned from natalizumab. Follow-up data were available for 306 patients (96.5%) with mean follow-up time 332 days. Fingolimod was discontinued in 76 of 306 patients (24.8%) at mean 248 days after fingolimod start. Discontinuation most often was due to adverse effects (n=40) or breakthrough disease (n=22). Among patients who started fingolimod with available 12 month follow-up data, 267 (87.3%) remained relapse free and 256 (83.7%) had no relapses or gadolinium enhancement. Time to first relapse occurred at mean 282 days after fingolimod initiation. Quality of life measures remained stable at follow-up. Conclusions Fingolimod was discontinued at a higher rate in clinical practice than in clinical trials. Discontinuation was primarily due to adverse effects or breakthrough disease. Disease activity was adequately controlled in most patients who started fingolimod. This clinical practice cohort is consistent with efficacy data from phase 3 trials and describes the most common tolerability issues in clinical practice. PMID:25271798

Nursing home practices following resident death: the experience of Certified Nursing Assistants.

Science.gov (United States)

Barooah, Adrita; Boerner, Kathrin; van Riesenbeck, Isabelle; Burack, Orah R

2015-01-01

This study examined certified nursing assistants' (CNAs) experiences of nursing home practices following resident death. Participants were 140 CNAs who had experienced recent resident death. In semi-structured, in-person interviews, CNAs were asked about their experiences with the removal of the resident's body, filling the bed with a new resident, and how they were notified about the death. The facilities' practice of filling the bed quickly was most often experienced as negative. Responses to body removal and staff notification varied, but negative experiences were reported by a substantial minority. Being notified prior to returning to work was associated with a more positive experience. Learning about the death by walking into a room to find the bed empty or already filled was the most negative experience. Study findings suggest that more mindful approaches to the transitions related to resident deaths would be valued by CNAs and could improve their work experience. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Learning Practice-Based Research Methods: Capturing the Experiences of MSW Students

Science.gov (United States)

Natland, Sidsel; Weissinger, Erika; Graaf, Genevieve; Carnochan, Sarah

2016-01-01

The literature on teaching research methods to social work students identifies many challenges, such as dealing with the tensions related to producing research relevant to practice, access to data to teach practice-based research, and limited student interest in learning research methods. This is an exploratory study of the learning experiences of…

Fourth Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE4)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Katz, Daniel S; Niemeyer, Kyle E; Gesing, Sandra; Hwang, Lorraine; Bangerth, Wolfgang; Hettrick, Simon; Idaszak, Ray; Salac, Jean; Chue Hong, Neil; Núñez-Corrales, Santiago; Allen, Alice; Geiger, R Stuart; Miller, Jonah; Chen, Emily; Dubey, Anshu; Lago, Patricia

2018-01-01

This article summarizes motivations, organization, and activities of the Fourth Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE4). The WSSSPE series promotes sustainable research software by positively impacting principles and best practices, careers, learning, and

The gamification and the enrichment of innovation practices in the firm: an analysis of experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Gallego Gomez

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Description of gamification practices in the company and the analysis of its influence on firm’s results by comparing experiences. Design/methodology: Analysis of experiences from different firm’s experiences. Findings: To show through real examples that the gamification leads to the achievement of better results in the organizations. Research limitations/implications: Access to the information of the few cases that we can find in our context. It is a quite new a yet unusual practice for most organizations. Practical implications: Reformulation of business communication strategies from best practices, where the gaming industry is an interesting precedent, which proofs that these practices improve business results. Social implications: Socialization of the innovation process at firms Originality/value: Provide an overview of the gamification as a practice that helps to pursue the strategy of collaboration with the client to improve results.

Flux line lattice melting transition in YBa2Cu3O6.94 observed in specific heat experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roulin, M.; Junod, A.; Walker, E.

1996-01-01

When a magnetic field penetrates a type II superconductor, it forms a lattice of thin quantized filaments called magnetic vortices. Resistance, magnetization, and neutron diffraction experiments have shown that the vortex lattice of high-temperature superconductors can melt along a line in the field-temperature plane. The calorimetric signature of melting on this line was observed in a high-accuracy adiabatic specific heat experiment performed on YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.94 . The specific heat of the vortex liquid was greater than that of the vortex solid. 17 refs., 3 figs

Simulation Experiments in Practice : Statistical Design and Regression Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kleijnen, J.P.C.

2007-01-01

In practice, simulation analysts often change only one factor at a time, and use graphical analysis of the resulting Input/Output (I/O) data. Statistical theory proves that more information is obtained when applying Design Of Experiments (DOE) and linear regression analysis. Unfortunately, classic

Prepared for Practice? Interns’ Experiences of Undergraduate Clinical Skills Training in Ireland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Morris

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background Many previous studies on internship have reported a lack of preparedness for the role. More recently in Ireland, medical schools have introduced formal clinical skills training programmes. This study sought to evaluate the impact, if any, of formal skills training in the medical training on intern's preparedness for practice. Methods The study utilized a survey approach followed by focus group discussions. The aim was to identify the skills that were taught and assessed in medical training and the skills that were actually required in their intern year. Results Most interns had received skills training in designated skills laboratories. No intern had received training in all skills advised in the European guidelines. Skills taught to all interns were intravenous cannulation, basic life support, and basic suture. Skills required from all interns were intravenous cannulation, phlebotomy, and arterial blood sampling. Removal of peripherally inserted central line (PICC lines, central lines, and chest drains were commonly requested but not taught. Senior staff underestimated skill abilities and expected failure. Conclusion These findings identify discordance between the skills taught and the skills required in the job. There is a need for standardization in the clinical skills training to ensure that all interns enter practice with equal competencies. Consideration should be given to experiential learning opportunities such as subintern programmes to consolidate learning and improve preparedness. Improvement in communications with senior clinicians is indicated to ensure that expectations are realistic and reflective of actual training.

Nurses' experiences and perspectives on medication safety practices: an explorative qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Smeulers, Marian; Onderwater, Astrid T; van Zwieten, Myra C B; Vermeulen, Hester

2014-04-01

To explore nurses' experiences with and perspectives on preventing medication administration errors. Insight into nurses' experiences with and perspectives on preventing medication administration errors is important and can be utilised to tailor and implement safety practices. A qualitative interview study of 20 nurses in an academic medical centre was conducted between March and December of 2011. Three themes emerged from this study: (1) nurses' roles and responsibilities in medication safety: aside from safe preparation and administration, the clinical reasoning of nurses is essential for medication safety; (2) nurses' ability to work safely: knowledge of risks and nurses' work circumstances influence their ability to work safely; and (3) nurses' acceptance of safety practices: advantages, feasibility and appropriateness are important incentives for acceptance of a safety practice. Nurses' experiences coincide with the assumption that they are in a pre-eminent position to enable safe medication management; however, their ability to adequately perform this role depends on sufficient knowledge to assess the risks of medication administration and on the circumstances in which they work. Safe medication management requires a learning climate and professional practice environment that enables further development of professional nursing skills and knowledge. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Beam Transfer Line Design for a Plasma Wakefield Acceleration Experiment (AWAKE) at the CERN SPS

CERN Document Server

Bracco, C; Brethoux, D; Clerc, V; Goddard, B; Gschwendtner, E; Jensen, L K; Kosmicki, A; Le Godec, G; Meddahi, M; Muggli, P; Mutin, C; Osborne, O; Papastergiou, K; Pardons, A; Velotti, F M; Vincke, H

2013-01-01

The world’s first proton driven plasma wakefield acceleration experiment (AWAKE) is presently being studied at CERN. The experimentwill use a high energy proton beam extracted from the SPS as driver. Two possible locations for installing the AWAKE facility were considered: the West Area and the CNGS beam line. The previous transfer line from the SPS to the West Area was completely dismantled in 2005 and would need to be fully re-designed and re-built. For this option, geometric constraints for radiation protection reasons would limit the maximum proton beam energy to 300 GeV. The existing CNGS line could be used by applying only minor changes to the lattice for the final focusing and the interface between the proton beam and the laser, required for plasma ionisation and bunch-modulation seeding. The beam line design studies performed for the two options are presented.

Primary healthcare nurses' experiences with motivational interviewing in health promotion practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Brobeck, Elisabeth; Bergh, Håkan; Odencrants, Sigrid; Hildingh, Cathrine

2011-12-01

The aim of the study was to describe primary healthcare nurses' experiences with motivational interviewing as a method for health promotion practice. A person's lifestyle has a major effect on his or her health. Motivational interviewing is one way of working with lifestyle changes in health promotion practice. The basic plan of motivational interviewing is to help people understand their lifestyle problems and make positive lifestyle changes. Motivational interviewing has been proven to be more effective than conventional methods in increasing patient motivation. This study has a descriptive design and uses a qualitative method. Twenty nurses who worked in primary health care and actively used motivational interviewing in their work were interviewed. Qualitative content analysis was used to process the data. The primary healthcare nurses' experiences with motivational interviewing as a method of health promotion practice demonstrate that motivational interviewing is a demanding, enriching and useful method that promotes awareness and guidance in the care relationship. The results also show that motivational interviewing is a valuable tool for primary healthcare nurses' health promotion practice. This study shows that motivational interviewing places several different demands on nurses who use this method. Those who work with motivational interviewing must make an effort to incorporate this new method to avoid falling back into the former practice of simply giving advice. Maintaining an open mind while implementing motivational interviewing in real healthcare settings is crucial for nurses to increase this method's effectiveness. The nurses in the study had a positive experience with motivational interviewing, which can contribute to the increased use, adaption and development of motivational interviewing among primary healthcare professionals. Increased motivational interviewing knowledge and skills would also contribute to promotion of health lifestyle practices

Seamless learning: Technology-enhanced learning from practical experiences across contexts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rusman, Ellen

2018-01-01

Rusman, E. (2018, 8th of June). Seamless learning: Technology-enhanced learning from practical experiences across contexts. Keynote presentation at the Seamless learning conference, Maastricht, The Netherlands. http://www.ou.nl/slc

Energy Therapies in Advanced Practice Oncology: An Evidence-Informed Practice Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Potter, Pamela J.

2013-01-01

Advanced practitioners in oncology want patients to receive state-of-the-art care and support for their healing process. Evidence-informed practice (EIP), an approach to evaluating evidence for clinical practice, considers the varieties of evidence in the context of patient preference and condition as well as practitioner knowledge and experience. This article offers an EIP approach to energy therapies, namely, Therapeutic Touch (TT), Healing Touch (HT), and Reiki, as supportive interventions in cancer care; a description of the author’s professional experience with TT, HT, and Reiki in practice and research; an overview of the three energy healing modalities; a review of nine clinical studies related to oncology; and recommendations for EIP. These studies demonstrate a response to previous research design critiques. Findings indicate a positive benefit for oncology patients in the realms of pain, quality of life, fatigue, health function, and mood. Directionality of healing in immune response and cell line studies affirms the usual explanation that these therapies bring harmony and balance to the system in the direction of health. Foremost, the research literature demonstrates the safety of these therapies. In order to consider the varieties of evidence for TT, HT, and Reiki, EIP requires a qualitative examination of patient experiences with these modalities, exploration of where these modalities have been integrated into cancer care and how the practice works in the oncology setting, and discovery of the impact of implementation on provider practice and self-care. Next steps toward EIP require fleshing out the experience of these modalities by patients and health-care providers in the oncology care setting. PMID:25031994

Assessing experience in the deliberate practice of running using a fuzzy decision-support system

Science.gov (United States)

Roveri, Maria Isabel; Manoel, Edison de Jesus; Onodera, Andrea Naomi; Ortega, Neli R. S.; Tessutti, Vitor Daniel; Vilela, Emerson; Evêncio, Nelson

2017-01-01

The judgement of skill experience and its levels is ambiguous though it is crucial for decision-making in sport sciences studies. We developed a fuzzy decision support system to classify experience of non-elite distance runners. Two Mamdani subsystems were developed based on expert running coaches’ knowledge. In the first subsystem, the linguistic variables of training frequency and volume were combined and the output defined the quality of running practice. The second subsystem yielded the level of running experience from the combination of the first subsystem output with the number of competitions and practice time. The model results were highly consistent with the judgment of three expert running coaches (r>0.88, p0.86, p<0.001). From the expert’s knowledge and the fuzzy model, running experience is beyond the so-called "10-year rule" and depends not only on practice time, but on the quality of practice (training volume and frequency) and participation in competitions. The fuzzy rule-based model was very reliable, valid, deals with the marked ambiguities inherent in the judgment of experience and has potential applications in research, sports training, and clinical settings. PMID:28817655

Assessing experience in the deliberate practice of running using a fuzzy decision-support system.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Isabel Roveri

Full Text Available The judgement of skill experience and its levels is ambiguous though it is crucial for decision-making in sport sciences studies. We developed a fuzzy decision support system to classify experience of non-elite distance runners. Two Mamdani subsystems were developed based on expert running coaches' knowledge. In the first subsystem, the linguistic variables of training frequency and volume were combined and the output defined the quality of running practice. The second subsystem yielded the level of running experience from the combination of the first subsystem output with the number of competitions and practice time. The model results were highly consistent with the judgment of three expert running coaches (r>0.88, p0.86, p<0.001. From the expert's knowledge and the fuzzy model, running experience is beyond the so-called "10-year rule" and depends not only on practice time, but on the quality of practice (training volume and frequency and participation in competitions. The fuzzy rule-based model was very reliable, valid, deals with the marked ambiguities inherent in the judgment of experience and has potential applications in research, sports training, and clinical settings.

Teacher's experiences in PBL: implications for practice

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, Anabela C.; Sousa, Rui M.; Fernandes, Sandra; Cardoso, Elisabete; Carvalho, Maria Alice; Figueiredo, Jorge; Pereira, Rui M. S.

2016-03-01

Project-Based Learning (PBL) has been implemented in the first year of the Industrial Engineering and Management programme at the University of Minho, Portugal, since 2004/2005. The purpose of this paper is to analyse and discuss teachers' experiences in PBL in this programme and to explore its implications for student learning and for teaching practices in higher education. For data collection, the research method used was written narratives to these teachers, at the end of the PBL semester. Findings suggest that teachers express a positive view of PBL as a learning approach. They identify student motivation and engagement, along with a better understanding of the application of concepts in real-life situations, as important outcomes of the project for students. Besides this, teachers also highlight the importance of the development of transversal skills by students throughout the project. Recommendations for future work and implications for practice will also be discussed.

Goethe's Conception of "Experiment as Mediator" and Implications for Practical Work in School Science

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Wonyong; Song, Jinwoong

2018-03-01

There has been growing criticism over the aims, methods, and contents of practical work in school science, particularly concerning their tendency to oversimplify the scientific practice with focus on the hypothesis-testing function of experiments. In this article, we offer a reading of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's scientific writings—particularly his works on color as an exquisite articulation of his ideas about experimentation—through the lens of practical school science. While avoiding the hasty conclusions made from isolated experiments and observations, Goethe sought in his experiments the interconnection among diverse natural phenomena and rejected the dualistic epistemology about the relation of humans and nature. Based on a close examination of his color theory and its underlying epistemology, we suggest three potential contributions that Goethe's conception of scientific experimentation can make to practical work in school science.

Nurses' experiences and perspectives on medication safety practices: an explorative qualitative study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smeulers, Marian; Onderwater, Astrid T.; van Zwieten, Myra C. B.; Vermeulen, Hester

2014-01-01

To explore nurses' experiences with and perspectives on preventing medication administration errors. Insight into nurses' experiences with and perspectives on preventing medication administration errors is important and can be utilised to tailor and implement safety practices. A qualitative

The Relationship Between Personality Traits, Flow-Experience, and Different Aspects of Practice Behavior of Amateur Vocal Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Heller, Katharina; Bullerjahn, Claudia; von Georgi, Richard

2015-01-01

Most of the existing studies on musical practice are concerned with instrumentalists only. Since singers are seldom considered in research, the present study is based on an online-sample of amateur vocal students (N = 120; 92 female, 28 male). The study investigated the correlations between personality traits, flow-experience and several aspects of practice characteristics. Personality was represented by the three personality dimensions extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism, assessed by Eysenck's Personality Profiler as well as the trait form of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. 'Flow-experience,' 'self-congruence' and 'fear of losing control over concentration,' assessed by the Practice Flow Inventory, served as variables for flow-experience. The practice motivation was measured by the Practice Motivation Questionnaire in four categories ('self,' 'group,' 'audience,' 'teacher'). In addition, the Practice Behavior Questionnaire was used to provide an insight into the practice situation and behavior of singing students. The results show significant correlations: participants with high extraversion-scores experience significantly more flow than less extraverted persons, whereas lesser flow-experience seems to be related to high neuroticism-scores. Nevertheless, there is no influence in flow-experience concerning singing style ('classical' or 'popular'). The longer the practicing time, the more likely students are to achieve flow-experience. However, older singers tend to have less flow-experience. Consequently, singers seem to differ in their personality and practice behavior compared to other musicians. Most of the findings show that having control over one's instrument is decisive for achieving a performance of high quality, especially for singers. On the other hand, certainty in handling an instrument is essential to arouse a flow-feeling. However, flow-experience seems to be common mainly with amateur singers. In conclusion, this offers a starting

Gamma-ray imaging spectrometer (GRIS): a new balloon-borne experiment for gamma-ray line astronomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teegarden, B.J.; Cline, T.L.; Gehrels, N.; Porreca, G.; Tueller, J.; Leventhal, M.; Huters, A.F.; MacCallum, C.J.; Stang, P.D.

1985-01-01

High resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy is a relatively new field that holds great promise for further understanding of high energy astrophysical processes. Preliminary results such as the annihilation radiation from the galactic center, the 26 Al line from the galactic plane and cyclotron lines from neutron stars may well be just the initial discoveries of a rich and as yet undeveloped field. When the high resolution gamma-ray spectrometer (GRSE) was removed from the GRO payload NASA decided to initiate a balloon program to permit continued development and improvement of instrumentation in this field, as well as continued scientific observations. The Gamma-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (GRIS) is one of the experiments selected as part of this program. The instrument contains a number of new and innovative features that are expected to produce a significant improvement in source location accuracy and sensitivity over previous balloon and satellite experiments. 6 refs., 2 figs

The experiences of student nurses on placements with practice nurses : a pilot study

OpenAIRE

Gale, Julia; Ooms, Ann; Sharples, Kath; Marks-Maran, Di

2016-01-01

To prepare the registered nurse of tomorrow in the United Kingdom (UK) to care for patients in general practice (GP)-led services, today's student nurses need to have the opportunity to experience placements with practice nurses to enable them to make positive career choices to become practice nurses in the future. The role of the practice nurse is described in the article. As a pilot project, seventeen students undertook placements with practice nurses in one of seven GP practices selected b...

Exploring body-anchored and experience-based learning in a community of practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stelter, Reinhard

2008-01-01

which, in a second step, is presented as part of the social realm and as one of the prerequisites of learning in a community of practice. This integration is established and becomes visible through the following two concepts: 1. Reification as the outflow of co-ordinated action, and 2. narratives......The article aims to integrate body-anchored and experience-based learning in the theoretical concept of learning in a community of practice. Present moment, epoché, intentional orientation and meaning making are introduced as the four basic premises for body-anchored and experience-based learning...

A Survey of Optometry Graduates to Determine Practice Patterns: Part II: Licensure and Practice Establishment Experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Bleimann, Robert L.; Smith, Lee W.

1985-01-01

A summary of Part II of a two-volume study of optometry graduates conducted by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry is presented. Part II includes the analysis of the graduates' licensure and practice establishment experiences. (MLW)

Experience and development of on-line BWR surveillance system at Onagawa nuclear power station unit-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishi, A.; Chiba, K.; Kato, K.; Ebata, S.; Ando, Y.; Sakamoto, H.

1986-01-01

ONAGAWA nuclear power station Unit-1 (Tohoku Electric Power Co.) is a BWR-4 nuclear power station of 524 MW electric power which started commercial operation in June 1984. To attain high reliability and applicability for ONAGAWA-1, Tohoku Electric Power Co. and Toshiba started a Research and Development project on plant surveillance and diagnosis from April 1982. Main purposes of this project are to: (1) Develop an on-line surveillance system and acquire its operating experience at a commercial BWR, (2) Assist in plant operation and maintenance by data acquisition and analysis, (3) Develop a new technique for plant surveillance and diagnosis. An outline of the project, operating experience gained from the on-line surveillance system and an introduction to new diagnosis techniques are reported in this paper. (author)

Line Laser as an Assistance for Facial and Dental Midlines Evaluation in Single-Splint Orthognathic Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Chung-Chih; Chen, Yu-Ray; Lin, James Cheng-Yi

2017-10-01

Coincidence of facial and dental midlines is one of the important goals in orthognathic-orthodontic treatment to achieve optimum facial aesthetics and good occlusal functions. Tools assisting diagnosis of facial midline are usually ruler or dental floss. These tools are usually hand held and hinder the global sight required in facial evaluation. Line laser device projects a steady narrow laser line and is commonly used in construction and carpentry to replace traditional chalk line tool. The authors take the advantages of line laser and incorporate it into facial evaluation in the authors' practice of single-splint orthognathic surgery.During June 2013 to May 2015, the authors used line laser device to evaluate facial and dental midlines in 28 patients of facial asymmetry requiring orthognathic surgery during consultation in office and intraoperative evaluation. The details of integrating this device to practice are described. All the patients showed improved facial symmetry and coincidence of facial and dental midlines after operation. Postoperative orthodontics were finished smoothly.Line laser is available from general utility stores and is safe to use according to laser safety regulation. From the authors' experiences, it is burden free to apply in facial and dental midlines evaluation and improves the practice.

Reform and practice for photoelectric specialty experimental teaching based on virtual simulation experiment platform

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Yan; Lv, Qingsong; Wu, Maocheng; Xu, Yishen; Gu, Jihua

2017-08-01

In view of some problems about the traditional photoelectric specialty experimental teaching process, such as separation of theoretical teaching and practical teaching, immobilization of experimental teaching contents, low quality of experiments and no obvious effect, we explored and practiced a new experimental teaching model of "theoretical teaching, virtual simulation and physical experiment", which combined the characteristics of photoelectric information science and engineering major and the essential requirements of engineering innovation talents cultivation. The virtual simulation experiment platform has many advantages, such as high performance-to-price ratio, easy operation and open experimental process, which makes virtual simulation combine physical experiment, complete each other with virtual for practical. After the users log into the virtual simulation experimental platform, they will first study the contents of the experiment, clarify the purpose and requirements of the experiment, master the method of using the instrument and the relevant notes, and then use the experimental instruments provided by the platform to build the corresponding experimental system. Once the experimenter's optical path is set incorrectly or the instrument parameters are set incorrectly, the error or warning message will be automatically triggered, and the reference information will be given instructing the student to complete the correct experimental operation. The results of our practice in recent years show that the teaching reform of the photoelectric specialty experiments has not only brought great convenience to the experimental teaching management, broadened the students' thinking and vision, enhanced the students' experimental skills and comprehensive qualities, but also made the students participate in the experiment with their enthusiasm. During the construction of experiment programs, the students' engineering practical ability and independent innovation awareness

Continuous software quality analysis for the ATLAS experiment

CERN Document Server

Washbrook, Andrew; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

The software for the ATLAS experiment on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN has evolved over many years to meet the demands of Monte Carlo simulation, particle detector reconstruction and data analysis. At present over 3.8 million lines of C++ code (and close to 6 million total lines of code) are maintained by an active worldwide developer community. In order to run the experiment software efficiently at hundreds of computing centres it is essential to maintain a high level of software quality standards. The methods proposed to improve software quality practices by incorporating checks into the new ATLAS software build infrastructure.

The line makes the difference: line managers as effective HRM partners

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos-Nehles, Anna Christina

2010-01-01

The HR role of line managers is highly discussed and criticized but little empirically researched. It is argued that line managers are not able to effectively implement HR practices because they do not have the desire, capacity and competences needed to perform well and lack support and policies &

How is brand experience designed in practice? : Results of a multiple-case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakker-Wu, S.; Calabretta, G.; Hultink, H.J.; Bohemia, E.; de Bont, C.; Svengren Holm, L.

2017-01-01

Brand experience is an important concept in marketing because it can affect brand loyalty, brand recall, and brand attitude. Brand experience design is therefore an important practice for companies to create favourable and meaningful experiences, through the design of various touchpoints that are in

Simulated learning environment experience in nursing students for paediatric practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza-Maldonado, Yessy; Barría-Pailaquilén, René Mauricio

The training of health professionals requires the acquisition of clinical skills in a safe and efficient manner, which is facilitated by a simulated learning environment (SLE). It is also an efficient alternative when there are limitations for clinical practice in certain areas. This paper shows the work undertaken in a Chilean university in implementing paediatric practice using SLE. Over eight days, the care experience of a hospitalized infant was studied applying the nursing process. The participation of a paediatrician, resident physician, nursing technician, and simulated user was included in addition to the use of a simulation mannequin and equipment. Simulation of care was integral and covered interaction with the child and family and was developed in groups of six students by a teacher. The different phases of the simulation methodology were developed from a pedagogical point of view. The possibility of implementing paediatric clinical practice in an efficient and safe way was confirmed. The experience in SLE was highly valued by the students, allowing them to develop different skills and abilities required for paediatric nursing through simulation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Enhancing Research and Practice in Early Childhood through Formative and Design Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Bradley, Barbara A.; Reinking, David

2011-01-01

This article describes formative and design experiments and how they can advance research and instructional practices in early childhood education. We argue that this relatively new approach to education research closes the gap between research and practice, and it addresses limitations that have been identified in early childhood research. We…

Life on the line: the therapeutic potentials of computer-mediated conversation.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, J K; Gergen, K J

1998-04-01

In what ways are computer networking practices comparable to face-to-face therapy? With the exponential increase in computer-mediated communication and the increasing numbers of people joining topically based computer networks, the potential for grass-roots therapeutic (or antitherapeutic) interchange is greatly augmented. Here we report the results of research into exchanges on an electronic bulletin board devoted to the topic of suicide. Over an 11-month period participants offered each other valuable resources in terms of validation of experience, sympathy, acceptance, and encouragement. They also asked provocative questions and furnished broad-ranging advice. Hostile entries were rare. However, there were few communiques that parallel the change-inducing practices more frequent within many therapeutic settings. In effect, on-line dialogues seemed more sustaining than transforming. Further limits and potentials of on-line communication are explored.

Development and Integration of on-line Data Analysis for the ALICE Experiment

CERN Document Server

Richter, Matthias

2009-01-01

The ALICE detector setup is a dedicated experiment in Heavy Ion Physics, located at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)/ Geneva. Its various sub-detectors are electronically read out by a few millions of channels and are expected to provide a huge sample of data for the investigation of strongly interacting matter. A data rate of up to 25 GByte/s imposes a challenge to both storage facilities and subsequent data analysis. On-line data processing is applied in order to reduce the data volume and selection of interesting events is suggested to increase the valuable information in the recorded data. In general, trigger systems cover the task of event selection. As the first signal needs to be available immediately after the collision, often a multi-level triggering scheme is applied. Fast detectors are deployed to generate different levels of hardware triggers. Subsequent software triggers accomplish event selection on the basis of on-line analysis. A High-Lev...

The Relationship Between Personality Traits, Flow-Experience, and Different Aspects of Practice Behavior of Amateur Vocal Students

Science.gov (United States)

Heller, Katharina; Bullerjahn, Claudia; von Georgi, Richard

2015-01-01

Most of the existing studies on musical practice are concerned with instrumentalists only. Since singers are seldom considered in research, the present study is based on an online-sample of amateur vocal students (N = 120; 92 female, 28 male). The study investigated the correlations between personality traits, flow-experience and several aspects of practice characteristics. Personality was represented by the three personality dimensions extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism, assessed by Eysenck’s Personality Profiler as well as the trait form of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. ‘Flow-experience,’ ‘self-congruence’ and ‘fear of losing control over concentration,’ assessed by the Practice Flow Inventory, served as variables for flow-experience. The practice motivation was measured by the Practice Motivation Questionnaire in four categories (‘self,’ ‘group,’ ‘audience,’ ‘teacher’). In addition, the Practice Behavior Questionnaire was used to provide an insight into the practice situation and behavior of singing students. The results show significant correlations: participants with high extraversion-scores experience significantly more flow than less extraverted persons, whereas lesser flow-experience seems to be related to high neuroticism-scores. Nevertheless, there is no influence in flow-experience concerning singing style (‘classical’ or ‘popular’). The longer the practicing time, the more likely students are to achieve flow-experience. However, older singers tend to have less flow-experience. Consequently, singers seem to differ in their personality and practice behavior compared to other musicians. Most of the findings show that having control over one’s instrument is decisive for achieving a performance of high quality, especially for singers. On the other hand, certainty in handling an instrument is essential to arouse a flow-feeling. However, flow-experience seems to be common mainly with amateur singers

Trends in on-line data processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masetti, M.

1981-01-01

The developement of integrated circuits has been characterized by an exponential growth of gates on a single chip that will still continue in the coming years. In parallel the price per bit is dropping down with more or less the same law. As a consequence of this a few statements can be made: The present 16-bit minicomputer in a small configuration is going to be substituted by a 16-bit microcomputer, and the 16-bit microcomputer in a powerful configuration by a 32-bit midi having also a virtual memory facility. Fully programmable or microcoded powerful devices like the LASS hardware processor or MICE, will allow an efficient on-line filter. Higher computing speed can be achieved by a multiprocessor configuration which can be insensitive to hardware failures. Therefore we are moving towards an integrated on-line computing system with much higher computing power than now and the present distinction between on-line and off-line will no longer be so sharp. As more processing can be performed on-line, fast high quality feed-back can be provided for the experiment. In the years to come the trend towards more processing power, at a lower price, and assembled in the same hardware volume will continue for at least five years; at the same time the future large high-energy physics experiments at LEP will be carried out within a wide international collaboration. In this environment methods must be found for a large fraction of the work to be distributed amongst the collaborators. To accomplish this aim it is necessary to introduce common standard practices concerning both hardware and software, in such a way that the seperate parts, developed by the collaborators, will be plug-compatible. (orig.)

School Counselors' Professional Experience and Practices Working with Students Who Self-Harm: A Qualitative Study

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Ellen Adams

2013-01-01

The professional experiences and practices of school counselors and the interventions they employ while working with adolescent students who self-harm is an underrepresented area within current research. This generic qualitative study provides a rich description and a deeper understanding of the professional experiences and practices of school…

Automatization of physical experiments on-line with the MINSK-32 computer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fefilov, B.V.; Mikhushkin, A.V.; Morozov, V.M.; Sukhov, A.M.; Chelnokov, L.P.

1978-01-01

The system for data acquisition and processing of complex multi-dimensional experiments is described. The system includes the autonomous modules in the CAMAC standard, the NAIRI-4 small computer and the MINSK-32 base computer. The NAIRI-4 computer effects preliminary storage, data processing and experiment control. Its software includes the microprogram software of the NAIRI-4 computer, the software of the NAIRI-2 computer, the software of the PDP-11 computer, the technological software on the Es computers. A crate controller and a display driver are connected to the main channel for the operation of the NAIRI-4 computer on line with experimental devices. An input-output channel commutator, which transforms the MINSK-32 computer levels to the TTL levels and vice versa, was developed to enlarge the possibilities of the connection of the measurement modules to the MINSK-32 computer. The graphic display on the basis of the HP-1300A monitor with a light pencil is used for highly effective spectrum processing

Experiences with 'on-line' diagnostic instrumentation in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gopal, R.; Ciaramitaro, W.; Smith, J.R.

1981-01-01

Over the past several years, Westinghouse has developed a coordinated system of on-line diagnostic instrumentation for the acquisition and analysis of data for diagnostics and incipient failure detection of critical plant equipment and systems. Primary motivation for this work is to improve Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS) availability and maintainability through the detection of malfunctions at their inception. These systems include: 1) Acoustic leak monitoring for detection and location of leaks in the primary system pressure boundary and other piping systems in PWR's; 2) Metal impact monitoring for detection of loose debris in the reactor vessel and steam generators; 3) Nuclear noise monitoring for monitoring core barrel vibration. Summarized in this paper are some of the features of the systems and inplant experience. (author)

Undergraduates' perceptions of the value of practical inhalation sedation experience in a UK dental school.

Science.gov (United States)

Walley, S; Albadri, S

2015-10-01

This was to establish the level and reported value of paediatric IHS experience from the perspective of final year undergraduates and to evaluate whether those students with more experience expressed feeling better-prepared for future practice and more likely to undertake further postgraduate education in IHS. All final year students were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire designed to elicit undergraduate perceptions of IHS using visual analogue scales and free-text questions. A response rate of 77 % was achieved. Results revealed that only 21 % of participants reported acting as operator sedationist in ten or more IHS cases. Thus, the majority of undergraduates' did not meet the recommended quantity of practical IHS experiences, as outlined by the British Dental Sedation Teachers Group. In general, students felt on the value of IHS in the management of anxious children and expressed a desire to undertake further postgraduate education in conscious sedation. However, those students with more experience of practical IHS expressed feeling better able to describe the IHS experience with patients and parents, and were more satisfied with the quality of teaching. Furthermore free-text comments revealed that, regardless of experience, students wished to gain more experience of the practical administration of IHS. There is a need to increase the provision of IHS training within an undergraduate curriculum, in addition to improving the accessibility of postgraduate sedation courses.

Experience as a doctor in the developing world: does it benefit the clinical and organisational performance in general practice?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

de Wit Niek J

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Many physicians have medical experience in developing countries early in their career, but its association with their medical performance later is not known. To explore possible associations we compared primary care physicians (GPs with and without professional experience in a developing country in performance both clinical and organisational. Methods A retrospective survey using two databases to analyse clinical and organisational performance respectively. Analysis was done at the GP level and practice level. 517 GPs received a questionnaire regarding relevant working experience in a developing country. Indicators for clinical performance were: prescription, referral, external diagnostic procedures and minor procedures. We used the district health insurance data base covering 570.000 patients. Explorative secondary analysis of practice visits of 1004 GPs in 566 practices in the Netherlands from 1999 till 2001. We used a validated practice visit method (VIP; 385 indicators in 51 dimensions of practice management to compare having experience in a developing country or not. Results Almost 8% of the GPs had experience in a developing country of at least two years. These GPs referred 9,5% less than their colleagues and did more surgical procedures. However, in the multivariate analysis 'experience in a developing country' was not significantly associated with clinical performance or with other GP- and practice characteristics. 16% of the practices a GP or GPs with at least two years experience in a developing country. They worked more often in group and rural practices with less patients per fte GP and more often part-time. These practices are more hygienic, collaborate more with the hospital and score better on organisation of the practice. These practices score less on service and availability, spend less time on patients in the consultation and the quality of recording in the EMD is lower. Conclusions We found interesting

Educational experiment for students using natural radioactivity. 2. Practical example of radiochemical experiment conducted at Tottori University

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Mariko; Esaka, Takao; Kamata, Masahiro

1999-01-01

This paper presents a practical example of educational experiment conducted at Tottori University, whose theme is to separate 214 Bi(+ 214 Pb) from superphosphate of lime or the soil sampled at Ningyo-Touge mountain pass. The results of this experiment are quantitative enough for educational purpose, although the amount of radioactivity is so small that it is free from any regulation in Japan. (author)

A qualitative evaluation of occupational therapy-led work rehabilitation for people with inflammatory arthritis: Perspectives of therapists and their line managers.

Science.gov (United States)

Prior, Yeliz; Amanna, Evangeline A; Bodell, Sarah J; Hammond, Alison

2015-08-01

Occupational therapy-led work rehabilitation for employed people with inflammatory arthritis and work problems was piloted in five hospitals in the United Kingdom. This qualitative study explored the views of participating occupational therapists and their line managers about the work rehabilitation training received and conducting the intervention, with particular focus on the structured interview used, the Work Experience Survey - Rheumatic Conditions. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with occupational therapists ( n  = 9), followed by telephone interviews with their line managers ( n  = 2). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed by three researchers to maximize validity. The main themes emerging from the occupational therapists' interviews were: varying levels of prior knowledge and experience of work rehabilitation, initial concerns about the feasibility of a lengthy work assessment in practice and increased confidence in delivering work rehabilitation as the study progressed. The line managers' interviews generated themes around the positive impact of the work rehabilitation training the occupational therapists received, and changes in their practice. The Work Experience Survey - Rheumatic Conditions was considered a good choice of work assessment which can be implemented in practice. Once therapists had provided the work intervention several times, their confidence and skills increased.

Proactive Review – learn from experience to improve bottom line

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kolbæk, Ditte

2016-01-01

This article aims to provide a theoretically based and proven educational design for lessons learned. Called a Proactive Review, this educational design is exemplified in a case study of a global information technology company classified as big business, where Proactive Reviews were developed...... and implemented in over 40 countries. This article explores how employees who solve a task together can learn from the experience and share this learning with relevant colleagues to improve work practices, services, and/or products. This article describes the format of Proactive Reviews, suggestions for starting...

Embodied practice: claiming the body's experience, agency, and knowledge for social work.

Science.gov (United States)

Tangenberg, Kathleen M; Kemp, Susan

2002-01-01

Although social work practice typically is concerned with physical conditions and experiences such as poverty, addiction, and violence, relatively little attention has been given to the body in professional literature. Emphasizing both physical and sociocultural dimensions of the body, this article argues for an invigorated, more complex understanding of the body in social work theory, practice, and research. Drawing from scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and social work, a framework involving three dimensions of the body is proposed for integration with accepted ecological practice models. The nature and implications of three primary dimensions of the body for multiple domains of social work practice are explored, citing examples from narratives of mothers living with HIV disease: (1) the experiencing body, focused on the physicality of daily life; (2) the body of power, focused on the physicality of oppression and marginality, typically based on race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, physical appearance, and illness; and (3) the client body, reflecting the bodily experiences of those identified as clients who participate in relationships with social workers.

A pilot study of the experience of participating in a Therapeutic Touch practice group.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Theresa; Ting, Brigid; Rossiter-Thornton, Maria

2008-09-01

This pilot study explored the experience of participating in a Therapeutic Touch practice group. A qualitative descriptive-exploratory method was used, involving 12 members of practice groups in Ontario and British Columbia, Canada. Analysis of the data using an extraction-synthesis process yielded four themes: (a) learning with others through sharing and hands-on experience is valued; (b) connecting with a network of supportive relationships that sustain self and Therapeutic Touch practice; (c) comfort-discomfort arising with self, others, or ideas; and (d) meaningful changes emerge while experiencing group energy and Therapeutic Touch. The findings expand current knowledge about the positive aspects of participating in practice groups and provide a beginning understanding of member discomfort, which had not been previously reported. This knowledge will be useful to Therapeutic Touch organizations, practice group leaders, and group members. It will also guide health care agencies and practitioners of other healing modalities who may be considering establishing practice groups.

Leadership and management skills of general practice nurses: experience or education?

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Rosalind; Cross, Wendy; Moss, Cheryle; Campbell, Annie; De Castro, Magali; Oxley, Victoria

2014-12-01

A key finding of this qualitative exploratory descriptive study into advanced nursing for general practice nurses (Australian setting) revealed that participants viewed leadership and management as best learnt 'apprenticeship' style on the job by years of experience. Participants (48) comprised of general practice nurses, practice managers and general practitioners from metropolitan Melbourne were interviewed. Other findings demonstrated that the participants generally had limited awareness that postgraduate education can assist in the development of leadership and management in advanced nursing practice. The participants lacked clarity about professional competencies and generally did not connect these to leadership and management. Professional bodies need to take the opportunity to promote awareness of the national competency standards. All three groups of participants expressed hopes about the future provision of professional development opportunities and support by the Medicare Local for leadership and management aspirations within advanced practice nursing.

Student agreement regarding adequacy of didactic content and practical experiences of vaccination clinic business operations.

Science.gov (United States)

George, David L; Johnson, Eric J; O'Neal, Katherine S; Smith, Michael J

2018-04-01

To report student perceived adequacy regarding didactic content and practical experiences of vaccination clinic business operations. Didactic content, a case study, and practical experiences regarding vaccination clinic business operations were implemented in related lectures of a Pharmacy Business and Entrepreneurship (PBE) elective and the college of pharmacy sponsored vaccination clinics. An online survey was used to evaluate student perceived adequacy of didactic content and practical experiences of vaccination clinic business operations. Mean scaled agreement was compared between students in the PBE elective versus those not in the elective. Student confidence in performing business operations was also assessed. Students in the PBE had higher mean confidence than non-elective students regarding staff management (3.23 vs. 2.73, p = 0.04). Success of the interventions may be attributed to students in the PBE elective that reported a higher mean perceived adequacy of content and practical experiences and confidence in performing nearly all business operations. Still, further evaluation of interventions is being considered to assess effectiveness of learning. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Practical experiences with granular activated carbon (GAC) at the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Practical experiences with granular activated carbon (GAC) at the Rietvlei Water Treatment Plant. ... The porosity was found to be 0.69 for the 12 x 40 size carbon and 0.66 for the 8 x 30 size carbon. By using a ... The third part of the study measured the physical changes of the GAC found at different points in the GAC cycle.

Employee perceptions of line management performance: applying the AMO theory to explain the effectiveness of line managers' HRM implementation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos-Nehles, Anna Christina; van Riemsdijk, Maarten; Looise, Jan C.

2013-01-01

Line managers are today seen as increasingly important in effectively implementing HRM practices. Based on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory, we predict that line managers' performance in this regard will depend on their ability to apply HRM practices, and that their motivation and the

Risk Analysis Method Based on FMEA for Transmission Line in Lightning Hazards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

You-Yuan WANG

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Failure rate of transmission line and reliability of power system are significantly affected by Lightning meteorological factor. In view of the complexity and variability of Lightning meteorological factors, this paper presents lightning trip-out rate model of transmission line in considering distribution of ground flash density and lightning day hours. Meanwhile, presents a failure rate model of transmission line in different condition, and a risk analysis method for transmission line considering multiple risk factors based on risk quantification. This method takes Lightning meteorological factor as the main evaluation standard, and establishes risk degree evaluation system for transmission line including another five evaluation standard. Put forward the risk indicators by quantify the risk factors based on experience date of transmission line in service. Based on the risk indexes comprehensive evaluation is conducted, and the evaluation result closer to practice is achieved, providing basis for transmission line risk warning and maintenance strategy. Through the risk analysis for 220 kV transmission line in a certain power supply bureau, the effectiveness of the proposed method is validated.

Family practice residents' maternity leave experiences and benefits.

Science.gov (United States)

Gjerdingen, D K; Chaloner, K M; Vanderscoff, J A

1995-09-01

A growing number of residents are having babies during residency training. While many businesses are working to improve maternity conditions and benefits for their employees, residency programs are often not prepared to accommodate pregnant residents. This study was conducted to examine the maternity leave experiences of women who delivered infants during their family practice residency training. Program directors from each of the 394 family practice residency programs listed in the 1993 Directory of Family Practice Residency Programs were asked to distribute surveys to female residents who gave birth during their residency training and had returned to work by the time of the study. Of 199 known eligible residents, 171 (86%) completed surveys; these women represented 127 programs located in 36 states and Puerto Rico. Only 56.8% of women were aware of their program having a written maternity leave policy. The average length of maternity leave was 8 weeks; 76% had leaves of 10 weeks or less. For many, the maternity leave was derived from more than one source, including vacation, sick time, or a mother-child elective. Nearly all (88.3%) the women breast-fed, and the mean duration of breast-feeding was more than 19 weeks. In general, participants believed that having a baby during residency was somewhat difficult. Problems frequently encountered by women after their return to work included sleep deprivation and tiredness, difficulty arranging for child care, guilt about child care, and breast-feeding. Factors that detracted most from the childbirth experience were too little sleep, problems arranging for child care, and lack of support from the partner, residency faculty, and other residents. Having a baby during residency is somewhat difficult for the average female resident. Factors that may ease this difficulty include getting adequate sleep and receiving support from one's partner, faculty, and other residents.

The Offering, Scheduling and Maintenance of Elective Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rex O. Brown

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE provides standards for colleges of pharmacy to assist in the provision of pharmacy education to student pharmacists. An integral part of all college educational programs includes the provision of experiential learning. Experiential learning allows students to gain real-world experience in direct patient care during completion of the curriculum. All college of pharmacy programs provide several Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs, which include a balance between the four required experiences and a number of other required or elective APPEs. Required APPEs include advanced community, advanced institutional, ambulatory care, and general medicine. The elective APPEs include a myriad of opportunities to help provide a balanced education in experiential learning for student pharmacists. These unique opportunities help to expose student pharmacists to different career tracks that they may not have been able to experience otherwise. Not all colleges offer enough elective APPEs to enable the student pharmacist to obtain experiences in a defined area. Such an approach is required to produce skilled pharmacy graduates that are capable to enter practice in various settings. Elective APPEs are scheduled logically and are based upon student career interest and site availability. This article describes the offering, scheduling and maintenance of different elective APPEs offered by The University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy.

Student nurses' experiences of community-based practice placement learning: a qualitative exploration.

Science.gov (United States)

Baglin, M R; Rugg, Sue

2010-05-01

United Kingdom (UK) health policy has adopted an increasing community and primary care focus over recent years (Department of Health, 1997; Department of Health, 1999. Making a Difference: Strengthening the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visitor Contribution to Health and Health Care. Department of Health, London; Department of Health, 2004. The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (NHS KSF). Department of Health, London). Nursing practice, education and workforce planning are called upon to adapt accordingly (Department of Health, 2004. The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (NHS KSF). Department of Health, London; Kenyon, V., Smith, E., Hefty, L., Bell, M., Martaus, T., 1990. Clinical competencies for community health nursing. Public Health Nursing 7(1), 33-39; United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, 1986. Project 2000: A New Preparation for Practice. UKCC, London). Such changes have major implications for pre-registration nursing education, including its practice placement element. From an educational perspective, the need for increased community nursing capacity must be balanced with adequate support for student nurses' learning needs during community-based placements. This qualitative study explored six second year student nurses' experiences of 12 week community-based practice placements and the extent to which these placements were seen to meet their perceived learning needs. The data came from contemporaneous reflective diaries, completed by participants to reflect their 'lived experience' during their practice placements (Landeen, J., Byrne, Brown, B., 1995. Exploring the lived experiences of psychiatric nursing students through self-reflective journals. Journal of Advanced Nursing 21(5), 878-885; Kok, J., Chabeli, M.M., 2002. Reflective journal writing: how it promotes reflective thinking in clinical nursing education: a students' perspective. Curationis 25(3), 35-42; Löfmark, A., Wikblad, K., 2001. Facilitating and

HIV testing and counseling: test providers' experiences of best practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, Ted; Worthington, Catherine; Haubrich, Dennis J; Ryder, Karen; Calzavara, Liviana

2003-08-01

Although education is central to HIV testing and counseling, little is known about the educational processes within the testing experience. This study investigated test providers' understandings of testing and counseling best practices. Interviews with a purposive sample of 24 test providers were thematically analyzed. Analysis revealed five best practices specific to HIV education and public health--ensuring information and education for HIV risk reduction, individualization of risk assessment, ensuring test results are given in person, providing information and referrals, and facilitating partner notification--and six practices not specific to HIV counseling relationship building. The latter were building trust and rapport; maintaining professional boundaries; ensuring a comfortable, safe environment; ensuring confidentiality; imparting nonjudgmntal attitude; and self-determination. The identified best practices demonstrated remarkable consistency across respondent subgroups. Although counseling was seen as largely educational and with a preventive focus, it included individualized messages based on assessments of risk, knowledge, and social and cultural characteristics.

Evaluation of Pigeon Pea Lines for Biological Soil Decompaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodolfo Godoy

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Soil decompaction is generally achieved through mechanical cultivation practices; however biological processes can significantly add to this process through root growth, development, and later senescence. This study was carried out in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil and had the purpose of selecting, among forty one pure pigeon pea lines, the most efficient genotypes that promote soil decompaction by roots penetrating compacted soil layers. Utilizing artificially compacted 30 mm high soil blocks, in a series of experiments, these lines were compared to the cultivar Fava Larga taken as a standard. Three lines were preliminarily selected out of the initial group, and afterwards, in more detailed screenings by monitoring soil resistance to penetration and also evaluating the behavior of Tanzania grass plants seeded after pigeon pea, two of them, g5-94 and g8-95, were selected as possessing the most fit root system to penetrate compacted soil layers.

Practical Applications and Experiences in K-20 Blended Learning Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Kyei-Blankson, Lydia, Ed.; Ntuli, Esther, Ed.

2014-01-01

Learning environments continue to change considerably and is no longer confined to the face-to-face classroom setting. As learning options have evolved, educators must adopt a variety of pedagogical strategies and innovative technologies to enable learning. "Practical Applications and Experiences in K-20 Blended Learning Environments"…

Wind and Solar Energy Curtailment: Experience and Practices in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bird, Lori [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Cochran, Jaquelin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Wang, Xi [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2014-03-01

This report examines U.S. curtailment practices, with a particular emphasis on utilities in the Western states. The information presented here is based on a series of interviews conducted with utilities, system operators, wind energy developers, and non-governmental organizations. The report provides case studies of curtailment experience and examines the reasons for curtailment, curtailment procedures, compensation, and practices that can minimize curtailment.

A REFLECTION OF THE MAIN BEING BY MEANS OF THE ONLY EXPERIENCE OF THE TEACHING PRACTICE.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Breydy Dayanna Álvarez Mahecha

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The current dynamics that involve biology teachers in a particular context, try to recreate a subject with an externalized profile setting aside each one of the teacher’s particularities and experiences that can built outside and inside the classroom. Given the above and the reflected on during the academic formation process in the biology department, it is consider important develop a research work inside the pedagogical practices about the biology teacher’s being and to-do in a scholar context. Such task developed in construction with the research line: “pathways and happenings. Studies of teacher’s being and to-do from the pedagogy” initiating a personal relation with the author formative interest. Finally, it is established as final considerations that biology teachers even in a scholar context with stablished dynamics by the institution, can recreate their diary tasks as subjects of change taking pedagogy as way a thought that question the intent of giving the teacher a profile.

Documenting Student Engagement Using an Intention/Reflection Exercise during an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Fierke, Kerry K.; Lepp, Gardner A.

2015-01-01

The article shares the outcomes of a practice called Intention/Reflection (I/R) when applied to a group of ten students in a five-week course involving an international advanced pharmacy practice experience. Developed by the authors and founded on a combination of theoretical principles, this practice is unique because of the blend of formative…

Suburban Families' Experience With Food Insecurity Screening in Primary Care Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Palakshappa, Deepak; Doupnik, Stephanie; Vasan, Aditi; Khan, Saba; Seifu, Leah; Feudtner, Chris; Fiks, Alexander G

2017-07-01

Food insecurity (FI) remains a major public health problem. With the rise in suburban poverty, a greater understanding of parents' experiences of FI in suburban settings is needed to effectively screen and address FI in suburban practices. We conducted 23 semistructured interviews with parents of children practices and screened positive for FI. In the interviews, we elicited parents' perceptions of screening for FI, how FI impacted the family, and recommendations for how practices could more effectively address FI. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. We used a modified grounded theory approach to code the interviews inductively and identified emerging themes through an iterative process. Interviews continued until thematic saturation was achieved. Of the 23 parents interviewed, all were women, with 39% white and 39% African American. Three primary themes emerged: Parents expressed initial surprise at screening followed by comfort discussing their unmet food needs; parents experience shame, frustration, and helplessness regarding FI, but discussing FI with their clinician helped alleviate these feelings; parents suggested practices could help them more directly access food resources, which, depending on income, may not be available to them through government programs. Although most parents were comfortable discussing FI, they felt it was important for clinicians to acknowledge their frustrations with FI and facilitate access to a range of food resources. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Experience of Military Nurse Practitioners During their First Year of Practice

Science.gov (United States)

2000-05-01

Manen , 1990). Lived body refers to the phenomenological fact that we are always bodily in the world. Van Manen writes, in our physical or bodily...experience as it is lived. Phenomenology focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of the meaning of our everyday experiences ( Van Manen , 1990). The...preceptor stories, patients and practice, and looking toward the future. The data was related to Van Manen s four existential themes. This study is

Beliefs, practices, and experiences of Korean women in relation to childbirth.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, K J; Peterson, L M

1991-01-01

Korean women's health beliefs and childbirth experiences in the United States were examined. A convenience sampling procedure was used, and face-to-face interviews were conducted in Korean. Interviews were audiotaped, typed, and translated from Korean to English. These women had a holistic concept of health. Some practices were influence by ancient Chinese medicine. Childbirth experiences indicated that language is a barrier requiring specific interventions. Recommendations include (a) development of an assessment tool with which health-care professionals can identify individual health beliefs early in pregnancy; (b) development of a bilingual pamphlet about medical terms and the U.S. health-care system; (c) development of a short bilingual dictionary of common foods for use in menu selection during hospitalization; and (d) provision of English practice periods based on anticipatory guidance principles to prepare women to ask for specific assistance.

Improving Quality and Occupational Safety on Automated Casting Lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kukla S.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a practical example of improving quality and occupational safety on automated casting lines. Working conditions on the line of box moulding with horizontal mould split were analysed due to low degree of automation at the stage of cores or filters installation as well as spheroidizing mortar dosing. A simulation analysis was carried out, which was related to the grounds of introducing an automatic mortar dispenser to the mould. To carry out the research, a simulation model of a line in universal Arena software for modelling and simulation of manufacturing systems by Rockwell Software Inc. was created. A simulation experiment was carried out on a model in order to determine basic parameters of the working system. Organization and working conditions in other sections of the line were also analysed, paying particular attention to quality, ergonomics and occupational safety. Ergonomics analysis was carried out on manual cores installation workplace and filters installation workplace, and changes to these workplaces were suggested in order to eliminate actions being unnecessary and onerous for employees.

Simulating the Beam-line at CERN's ISOLDE Experiment

CERN Document Server

McGrath, Casey

2013-01-01

Maximizing the optical matching along portions of the ISOLDE beam-line and automating this procedure will make it easier for scientists to determine what the strengths of the electrical elds of each beam-line element should be in order to reduce particle loss. Simulations are run using a program called MAD-X, however, certain issues were discovered that hindered an immediate success of the simulations. Specifically, the transfer matrices for electrostatic components like the switchyards, kickers, and electric quadrupoles were missing from the original coding. The primary aim of this project was to design these components using AutoCAD and then extract the transfer matrices using SIMION. Future work will then implement these transfer matrices into the MAD-X code to make the simulations of the beam-line more accurate.

An investigation of nurse educator's perceptions and experiences of undertaking clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Angela; Taylor, Cathy

2008-11-01

Educational policy (DOH, 1999. Making a difference: strengthening the nursing, midwifery and health visiting contribution to health and healthcare. Department of Health, London; UKCC, 1999. Fitness for Practice. United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, London; Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2006. Standards to support learning and assessment in practice. Nursing and Midwifery Council, London) and current nursing literature (Griscti, O., Jacono, B., Jacono, J., 2005. The nurse educator's clinical role. Journal of Advanced Nursing 50 (1), 84-92; Owen, S., Ferguson, K., Baguley, I., 2005. The clinical activity of mental health nurse lecturers. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 12, 310-316), place increasing emphasis on nurse educators undertaking clinical practice to facilitate their clinical confidence and competence. This study investigated nurse educators' perceptions and experiences of undertaking clinical practice. A qualitative design and descriptive, exploratory approach were used. A purposive sample of 11 nurse educators in one nursing department, took part in two focus group interviews, one with 5 and the other with 6 respondents, to identify and discuss their perceptions and experiences of undertaking clinical practice. A process of thematic content analysis revealed three broad themes relating to the meaning and importance of clinical practice, perceived benefits and barriers which are examined and discussed. The paper concludes that despite policy recommendations, barriers highlighted in this study such as insufficient time, heavy workload and a lack of valuing of the clinical role have been raised over the past few decades. The effect of undertaking clinical practice, particularly on the quality of teaching is argued to be valuable armoury in the battle to secure sufficient resources to support engagement in clinical practice. Financial and organisational commitment; valuing of clinical practice and research

Practical experience in spent fuel management for German nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Althaus, D.; Luehrmann, A.; Seepolt, R.; Springer, K.

1999-01-01

The paper describes the practical experience in spent fuel management gained in the past by using the traditional route of reprocessing and, since the amendment to the Atomic Law in 1994, by using also direct disposal via interim storage. (author)

Patient obesity and the practical experience of the plain radiography professional: On everyday ethics, patient positioning and infelicitous equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woods, A.L.; Miller, P.K.; Sloane, C.

2016-01-01

Patient obesity is increasingly placing significant and multifaceted strain upon medical imaging departments, and professionals, in (particularly Western) healthcare systems. The majority of obesity-related studies in radiology are, however, primarily focused only upon the technical business of collecting diagnostically-efficacious images. This study, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), qualitatively explores the everyday clinical experiences of eight expert UK diagnosticians working in plain radiography. Focus herein falls particularly upon (a) problems with patient positioning during examination, and (b) challenges arising around available equipment. In line with extant research, participants reported that difficulties with positioning obese patients could have negative impacts on image quality, and that insufficient table weight limits and widths, and inadequate detector sizes, can adversely affect examination. They also raised some more novel issues, such as how the impact of available gown sizes upon a patient's sense of dignity can cause practical and ethical dilemmas for a clinician in situ. The issue of how one might ‘train’ experience in positioning patients without bony landmarks as a reference point was also made salient, with strong implications for undergraduate radiography curricula. It is finally highlighted how the participating radiographers themselves seldom conceptualised any given problem as a purely ‘technical’ one, instead recurrently recognising the interlinking of material, socio-economic and moral matters in real healthcare contexts. By better understanding such nuance and complexity as lived by real radiographers, it is contended, a more context-sensitive and flexible path to effective training and guideline-production can be mapped. - Highlights: • Difficulties with positioning obese patients can have negative impacts on image quality. • Positioning patients without bony landmarks as a reference point is

The Experience of Evidence-Based Practice in an Australian Public Library: An Ethnography

Science.gov (United States)

Gillespie, Ann; Partridge, Helen; Bruce, Christine; Howlett, Alisa

2016-01-01

Introduction: This paper presents the findings from a project that investigated the lived experiences of library and information professionals in relation to evidence-based practice within an Australian public library. Method: The project employed ethnography, which allows holistic description of people's experiences within a particular community…

32 CFR 644.7 - Acquisition lines.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... HANDBOOK Project Planning Civil Works § 644.7 Acquisition lines. (a) Tentative acquisition lines. As..., in accordance with sound real estate practices. Accordingly, fringe tracts will not be acquired until...

Does Experience Rating Improve Obstetric Practices?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amaral-Garcia, Sofia; Bertoli, Paola; Grembi, Veronica

2015-01-01

is associated with a decrease in the probability of performing a C-section from 2.3 to 3.7 percentage points (7–11.6%) with no consequences for medical complications or neonatal outcomes. The impact can be explained by a reduction in the discretion of obstetric decision-making rather than by patient cream......Using inpatient discharge records from the Italian region of Piedmont, we estimate the impact of an increase in malpractice pressure brought about by experience-rated liability insurance on obstetric practices. Our identification strategy exploits the exogenous location of public hospitals in court...... districts with and without schedules for noneconomic damages. We perform difference-in-differences analysis on the entire sample and on a subsample which only considers the nearest hospitals in the neighborhood of court district boundaries. We find that the increase in medical malpractice pressure...

Building Bridges One Line at a Time

Science.gov (United States)

Grigsby, Cathy Murray

2012-01-01

In this article, first-grade students were taught the different kinds of lines that were part of the construction of various bridges--the curved lines of the arches of stone bridges, straight lines connecting the cables of a suspension bridge, vertical lines, horizontal lines, and so on. They gained practice in drawing structures and in fine brush…

Medical Home Implementation Gaps for Seniors: Perceptions and Experiences of Primary Care Medical Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoff, Timothy; DePuccio, Matthew

2018-07-01

The study objective was to better understand specific implementation gaps for various aspects of patient-centered medical home (PCMH) care delivered to seniors. The study illuminates the physician and staff experience by focusing on how individuals make sense of and respond behaviorally to aspects of PCMH implementation. Qualitative data from 51 in-depth, semi-structured interviews across six different National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)-accredited primary care practices were collected and analyzed. Physicians and staff identified PCMH implementation gaps for their seniors: (a) performing in-depth clinical assessments, (b) identifying seniors' life needs and linking them with community resources, and (c) care management and coordination, in particular self-management support for seniors. Prior experiences trying to perform these aspects of PCMH care for older adults produced collective understandings that led to inaction and avoidance by medical practices around the first two gaps, and proactive behavior that took strategic advantage of external incentives for addressing the third gap. Greater understanding of physician and staff's PCMH implementation experiences, and the learning that accumulates from these experiences, allows for a deeper understanding of how primary care practices choose to enact the medical home model for seniors on an everyday basis.

[Differences in practice among physicians staffing an emergency department in relation to years of experience].

Science.gov (United States)

Busca, Pablo; Inchaurza, Estibaliz; Illarramendi, Aiora; Urbina, Ohiana; González, Laura; Miró, Òscar

2015-06-01

To determine differences in certain variables reflecting clinical practice in a group of emergency physicians with varying levels of experience and to explore whether differences are associated with experience. Retrospective observational study of differences in variables reflecting emergency physicians' practice between 2005 and 2012. We studied work variables (months worked, patients treated, caseload distribution according to triage levels), patient management variables (consultation with other specialists, admissions, ambulance requests), diagnostic procedures ordered (simple radiographs, laboratory tests, ultrasound or computed tomography imaging), and time patients discharged home spent in the department (arrival to discharge). We explored relationships between these variables and the emergency physician's experience using linear regression analysis, followed by the construction of multivariable models to adjust for physician characteristics. Data for 50 emergency medicine physicians, in 291 years of work, were analyzed. The specialists' experience ranged from 1 to 22 years (mean [SD], 9.5 [5.8] years). They attended between 47 and 158 patients monthly (mean, 86 [19] patients). The physicians' experience was inversely and independently related to the mean number of patients attended monthly and the percentage of patients assigned a triage level of 1 or 2. Experience was directly and independently related to discharged patients' time spent in the emergency department and number of simple radiographs ordered. All associations were small (R2<0.010), however. Those variables continued to show statistically significant associations after increasingly complex modeling to adjust for the following physician variables: physician, age, sex, specialty, residency training in the same hospital). The practice of emergency physicians with more accumulated experience shows slight but significant differences from the practice of less experienced physicians.

The experience of being a member of the Student International Community of Practice: a collaborative reflection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brighide M. Lynch

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Background: In 2010 a community of practice was set up for and by doctoral students engaged in person-centred and practitioner research. After three years, this community became part of a larger international community of practice. Aims and objectives: Captured under the stanzas of a poem and supported by the literature, this paper uses member narratives and creative expressions in a critical reflection on the experience of being a member of the Student International Community of Practice. Conclusions: Membership in the community of practice was experienced as beneficial, providing both support and challenge to enrich the doctoral students’ development as person-centred researchers. Retaining connectivity across an international landscape and finding effective ways to integrate new members into the community presented the greatest challenges. Implications for practice development: • The theoretical foundation and experiential knowledge could assist others considering support structures for the development of person-centred practices • Shared learning and co-creation of knowledge add value to the experience of being a doctoral researcher • Membership fluctuations present challenges to continuity of learning and the maintenance of a safe space with communities of practice. Such fluctuations, however, create chances for community members to experience diverse roles within the group and encourage explicit attention to person-centredness

Technologies for adaptation. Perspectives and practical experiences; Climate change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christiansen, Lars; Olhoff, A; Traerup, S

2011-11-15

The present report is the second volume of the UNEP Risoe Centre Technology Transfer Perspectives Series. The report is related to the global Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) project, financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by UNEP Risoe Centre. The nine articles in this volume discuss issues like: a) the concepts and context of technologies for adaptation; b) assessments of adaptation technology needs; c) practical experiences from working with technologies for adaptation. (LN)

Applying thematic analysis theory to practice: a researcher's experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuckett, Anthony G

2005-01-01

This article describes an experience of thematic analysis. In order to answer the question 'What does analysis look like in practice?' it describes in brief how the methodology of grounded theory, the epistemology of social constructionism, and the theoretical stance of symbolic interactionism inform analysis. Additionally, analysis is examined by evidencing the systematic processes--here termed organising, coding, writing, theorising, and reading--that led the researcher to develop a final thematic schema.

Paramedics' experiences of financial medicine practices in the pre-hospital environment. A pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Craig Vincent-Lambert

2016-10-01

Objectives: This qualitative pilot study explored and described the experiences of South African Paramedics with regard to the practicing of financial medicine in the local pre-hospital emergency care environment. Method: A sample of South African Paramedics were interviewed either face-to-face or telephonically. The interviews were audio recorded and transcripts produced. Content analysis was conducted to explore, document and describe the participants' experiences with regard to financial medicine practices in the local pre-hospital environment. Results: It emerged that all of the participants had experienced a number of financial medicine practices and associated unethical conduct. Examples included Over-servicing, Selective Patient Treatment, Fraudulent Billing Practices, Eliciting of kickbacks, incentives or benefits and Deliberate Time Wasting. Conclusion: The results of this study are concerning as the actions of service providers described by the participants constitute gross violations of the ethical and professional guidelines for health care professionals. The authors recommend additional studies be conducted to further explore these findings and to establish the reasons for, and ways of, limiting financial medicine practices in the South African emergency care environment.

Gamma-ray line intensities for depleted uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moss, C.E.

1985-01-01

Measurements of the gamma-ray line intensities from depleted uranium allowed us to determine which of two conflicting previous experiments was correct. For the 1001-keV line we obtain a branching ratio of 0.834 +- 0.007, in good agreement with one of the previous experiments. A table compares our intensities for several lines with those obtained in previous experiments. 5 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

Assertiveness levels of nursing students who experience verbal violence during practical training.

Science.gov (United States)

Unal, Sati; Hisar, Filiz; Görgülü, Ulkü

2012-08-01

The aim of the study was to investigate students' verbal violence experiences, the effect of assertiveness on being subjected to violence, the behaviour of students after the violence and the experience of psychological distress during practical training. The study sample consisted of 274 students attending a school of nursing. A questionnaire form and the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS) were used for data collection. Percentages, means and the independent samples t-test were used for the evaluation of data. During practical training, the students suffered verbal violence from teachers, department nurses and doctors. The students had higher mean scores of RAS for most types of violence committed by the teachers and being reprimanded by the nurses and 69.3% had not responded to the violence. Students with a high level of assertiveness are subjected to violence more frequently. Being subjected to verbal violence and feeling psychological distress during practical training are a major problem among nursing students. Students should be supported in terms of assertiveness and dealing with violence effectively.

Servant leadership: a phenomenological study of practices, Experiences, organizational effectiveness and barriers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amy R. Savage-Austin, PhD

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The subject of leadership is complex, and one of the main issues facing organizational leaders today is how to motivate employees to actively participate in the efforts that lead to accomplishing organizational goals. This study gathered lived experiences of 15 organizational leaders who practice the servant leadership philosophy, and explored how business leaders link their servant leadership practices to their organization’s effectiveness. The qualitative responses obtained during this study indicated that the perceived organizational barriers that prevent the servant leadership practices are the organization’s culture, the fear of change, and the lack of knowledge regarding the servant leadership philosophy. This study also gained insight into the impact that these organizational barriers have on one’s ability to practice servant leadership

Reflective practice in sport coaching: an autoethnographic exploration into the lived experiences of one coach

OpenAIRE

Ang, Denis

2017-01-01

This study seeks to contribute to the growing pool of knowledge on the use of alternative representation of lived experiences to advance practical understandings in sport coaching. Documenting a self-inquiry into my coaching practice, this study demonstrates the value of autoethnography as a methodology to deepen knowledge from experiences. By illuminating my coach-researcher voice through a self-narrative, this study shows how autoethnography is able to immerse the sport researcher in his or...

Berkeley Off-line Radioisotope Generator (BORG)

CERN Document Server

Sudowe, R

2001-01-01

Development of chemical separations for the transactinides has traditionally been performed with longer-lived tracer activities purchased commercially. With these long-lived tracers, there is always the potential problem that the tracer atoms are not always in the same chemical form as the short-lived atoms produced in on-line experiments. This problem is especially severe for elements in groups 4 and 5 of the periodic table, where hydrolysis is present. The long-lived tracers usually are stored with a complexing agent to prevent sorption or precipitation. Chemistry experiments performed with these long-lived tracers are therefore not analogous to those chemical experiments performed in on-line experiments. One way to eliminate the differences between off-line and on-line chemistry experiments is through the use of a sup 2 sup 5 sup 2 Cf fission fragment collection device. A sup 2 sup 5 sup 2 Cf fission fragment collection device has already been constructed [1]. This device is limited in its capabilities. A ...

Patient experience of source isolation: lessons for clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Barratt, Ruth Linda; Shaban, Ramon; Moyle, Wendy

2011-10-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is now the leading antimicrobial-resistant organism of concern to clinicians worldwide. Preventing and controlling the increase and spread of MRSA within the health-care environment is therefore an important function of the infection control team. The prevention and control of MRSA requires strict use of both Standard and Additional Precautions, which include good hand hygiene practices, judicious antimicrobial prescribing, and source isolation. While few would dispute the need for these precautions for preventing the spread of MRSA and other infections, their use may result in adverse physical and psychological effects for the patient. In an age of quality and safety of health care, ensuring infection control practice such as source isolation and contact precautions adhere to fundamental human rights is paramount. This paper presents a review of the literature on the patient experience of source isolation for MRSA or other infectious diseases. The review yielded five major interconnected themes: (1) psychological effects of isolation; (2) coping with isolation; (3) social isolation; (4) communication and information provision; and (5) physical environment and quality of care. It found that the experience of isolation by patients has both negative and positive elements. Isolation may result in detrimental psychological effects including anxiety, stress and depression, but may also result in the patient receiving less or substandard care. However, patients may also benefit from the quietness and privacy of single rooms. Nurses and other healthcare workers must look for ways to improve the experience of isolation and contact precautions of patients in source isolation. Opportunities exist in particular in improving the environment and the patient's self-control of the situation and in providing adequate information.

Role of laser myringotomy in a pediatric otolaryngology practice: initial experience

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Udayan K.

2001-05-01

A new technology (OtoLAM) to fenestrate the tympanic membrane with the carbon dioxide laser (CO2), in the office or the operating room, has been introduced over the last three years. While not new conceptually, this product offers the ability to easily create a precise window into the middle ear using a portable system. Controversy regarding the indications and benefits of this technique, amplified by the costs of the system and the marketing of the technology prior to extensive clinical testing, has plagued the clinical application of this technology. We report our experience over the past year with this system in a busy pediatric otolaryngology practice. Laser fenestration of the tympanic membrane has been useful for the insertion of tympanostomy tubes, and for the minimally invasive evaluation of the middle ear. Our small experience to date reveals that there is a limited role for laser tympanic membrane fenestration in a busy pediatric otolaryngology practice.

Engaging Frontline Staff in Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Prevention Practice in the Wake of Superstorm Sandy.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, Rebecca E; Devins, Lea; Geraghty, Gail; Bock, Steven; Dugan, Christina A; Transou, Marjorie; Phillips, Michael; Lighter-Fisher, Jennifer

2015-10-01

Central venous catheters are crucial devices in the care of hospitalized children, both in and out of critical care units, but the concomitant risk of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) affects 15,000 Americans annually. In 2012, CLABSI rates varied among units from 6.8/1,000 to 1.0/1,000 in a 109-bed children's service within NYU Langone Medical Center (NYULMC; New York City), a 1,069-bed tertiary care academic medical center. In response to variation in central line-related practices and infection prevention rates, a CLABSI Prevention Core Team began an effort to standardize central venous catheter (CVC) care across all pediatric units (ICU and non-ICU). Momentum in this quality improvement (QI) work was interrupted when Superstorm Sandy shuttered the flagship hospital, but the relatively decreased clinical load provided a "downtime" opportunity to address CLABSI prevention. The first phase of the collaborative effort, Booster 1, Planning/Initial Phase: Development of a Pediatric Central Venous Catheter Working Group, was followed by Booster 2, Maintenance/Sustaining Phase: Transitioning for Sustainability and Adopting Model for Improvement. Data in the subsequent 21 months after the temporary closure of the facility (January 2013-September 2014) showed an increase in maintenance bundle reliability. The inpatient CLABSI rate for patients<18 years decreased from an annual rate of 2.7/1,000 line days (2012) to 0.6/1,000 line days (2013) to 0.5/1,000 line days as of August 2014. There was a decrease in pediatric CLABSI events and no significant change in line days. Key elements contributing to initial success with evolving QI capacity and resources were likely multi-factorial, including staff and leadership engagement, culture change, consistent guidelines, and accountability by individuals and by our multidisciplinary core team.

Student Teachers' Experiences of Relation Building in Teaching Practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Anne Maj; Laursen, Per Fibæk

The study explores how 22 student teachers in a Danish college of education experience and interpret their own becoming a teacher and the implied attitudes to pupils. The student teachers attending mainstream teacher education and a course in mindful awareness and relational competencies have...... – to a larger extend than the mainstream educated student teachers - learned a reflexive attitude to their state of being in teaching practice and to their relational interaction with children in class....

Simulation Experiments in Practice: Statistical Design and Regression Analysis

OpenAIRE

Kleijnen, J.P.C.

2007-01-01

In practice, simulation analysts often change only one factor at a time, and use graphical analysis of the resulting Input/Output (I/O) data. The goal of this article is to change these traditional, naïve methods of design and analysis, because statistical theory proves that more information is obtained when applying Design Of Experiments (DOE) and linear regression analysis. Unfortunately, classic DOE and regression analysis assume a single simulation response that is normally and independen...

Proceedings of the International Workshop on Occupational Radiation Protection in Severe Accident Management 'sharing practices and experiences'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-06-01

The objective of the Workshop on Occupational Radiation Protection in Severe Accident Management was to share practices and experiences in approaches to severe accident management. The workshop: provided an international forum for information and experience exchange amongst nuclear electricity utilities and national regulatory authorities on approaches to, and issues in severe accident management, including national and international implications. Focus was placed on sharing practices and experiences in many countries on approaches to severe accident management; identified best occupational radiation protection approaches in strategies, practices, as well as limitations for developing effective management. This included experiences in various countries; identified national experiences to be incorporated into the final version of ISOE EG-SAM report. The workshop included a series of plenary presentations that provided participants with an overview of practices and experiences in severe accident management from various countries. Furthermore, by taking into account the structure of the interim report, common themes and issues were discussed in follow-up breakout sessions. Sessions included invited speakers, moderated by designated experts, allowing participants to discuss their national experiences and possible inputs into the report. The outcomes of the breakout sessions were presented in plenary by the respective moderators followed by an open discussion, with a view towards elaborating ways forward to achieve more effective severe accident management. This document brings together the abstracts and the slides of the available presentations

Multi-objective Analysis for a Sequencing Planning of Mixed-model Assembly Line

Science.gov (United States)

Shimizu, Yoshiaki; Waki, Toshiya; Yoo, Jae Kyu

Diversified customer demands are raising importance of just-in-time and agile manufacturing much more than before. Accordingly, introduction of mixed-model assembly lines becomes popular to realize the small-lot-multi-kinds production. Since it produces various kinds on the same assembly line, a rational management is of special importance. With this point of view, this study focuses on a sequencing problem of mixed-model assembly line including a paint line as its preceding process. By taking into account the paint line together, reducing work-in-process (WIP) inventory between these heterogeneous lines becomes a major concern of the sequencing problem besides improving production efficiency. Finally, we have formulated the sequencing problem as a bi-objective optimization problem to prevent various line stoppages, and to reduce the volume of WIP inventory simultaneously. Then we have proposed a practical method for the multi-objective analysis. For this purpose, we applied the weighting method to derive the Pareto front. Actually, the resulting problem is solved by a meta-heuristic method like SA (Simulated Annealing). Through numerical experiments, we verified the validity of the proposed approach, and discussed the significance of trade-off analysis between the conflicting objectives.

Compliance with Prevention Practices and their Association with Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infections in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Science.gov (United States)

Zachariah, Philip; Furuya, E. Yoko; Edwards, Jeffrey; Dick, Andrew; Liu, Hangsheng; Herzig, Carolyn; Pogorzelska-Maziarz, Monika; Stone, Patricia W.; Saiman, Lisa

2014-01-01

Background Bundles and checklists have been shown to decrease CLABSIs, but implementation of these practices and association with CLABSI rates have not been described nationally. We describe implementation and levels of compliance with prevention practices in a sample of US Neonatal ICUs and assess their association with CLABSI rates. Methods An online survey assessing infection prevention practices was sent to hospitals participating in National Healthcare Safety Network CLABSI surveillance in October 2011. Participating hospitals permitted access to their NICU CLABSI rates. Multivariable regressions were used to test the association between compliance with NICU specific CLABSI prevention practices and corresponding CLABSI rates. Results Overall, 190 Level II/III and Level III NICUs participated. The majority of NICUs had written policies (84%-93%) and monitored compliance with bundles and checklists (88% - 91%). Reporting ≥ 95% compliance for any of the practices ranged from 50%- 63%. Reporting ≥ 95% compliance with insertion checklist and assessment of daily line necessity were significantly associated with lower CLABSI rates (pprevention policies and monitor compliance, although reporting compliance ≥ 95% was suboptimal. Reporting ≥ 95% compliance with select CLABSI prevention practices was associated with lower CLABSI rates. Further studies should focus on identifying and improving compliance with effective CLABSI prevention practices in neonates. PMID:25087136

Is faculty practice valuable? The experience of Western Australian nursing and midwifery academics undertaking faculty clinical practice - A discussion paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, Amanda C; Baker, Melanie; Geraghty, Sadie

2017-09-01

The faculty clinical practice model provides dedicated time for nursing lecturers and educators in a university school of nursing to work with supervision in the clinical environments for an agreed amount of time each year. Allowing academics to partake in faculty clinical practice this way has been shown to update skills and retain clinical competency. Some nursing and midwifery academics believe it is essential to remain clinically current and up-to-date with professional issues in the clinical environments, whereas other academics believe reading current research maintains clinical competency. This discussion paper will explore the authors' own experiences of faculty clinical practice as an opportunity to enhance their learning. Narrative accounts of time spent in the clinical areas being expressed as invaluable as it allowed the authors to become part of the health professional team, refine clinical skills, gain clinical confidence, and share knowledge. This, in turn, impacted upon the academic's teaching style as well as redefined it by introducing incidents and stories from their experience. It has been concluded by the authors that faculty clinical practice allows academics to increase confidence, encourage leadership skills, and improve their teaching abilities in their clinical area of expertise. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of an internal medicine assistance line dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases for general practice].

Science.gov (United States)

Castillo, J-M; Agard, C; Artifoni, M; Brisseau, J-M; Connault, J; Durant, C; Espitia, O; Masseau, A; Neel, A; Perrin, F; Pistorius, M-A; Planchon, B; Ponge, T; Hamidou, M; Pottier, P

2016-05-01

Clinical reasoning and treatment challenges within the scope of general practice led to the development of an internal medicine assistance line provided by Nantes University Hospital. The primary outcome of this study was to describe callers' profile, their requests and answers provided. A prospective, cross-sectional, observational, descriptive study was undertaken. For each call were identified the calling physician, her/his specialty and work setting, the call's object and adequacy, the answer provided, the time needed to connect with the assistance line, the time devoted by the internal medicine physician to provide an answer to the request, and whether the assistance line prevented a visit to the emergency room. Each calling physician was then called back to obtain demographic and professional characteristics, and data relating to the call and to the assistance line. Sixty-three days were analyzed and 276 calls identified. The 237 identified calling physicians were mainly females (54%, n=93), with a mean age of 46 years, graduated from Nantes University (65%, n=86), practicing ambulatory general medicine (69%, n=164) in Loire-Atlantique department area (82%, n=176) for a mean duration of 15 years. Calls were mostly associated with diagnostic challenges (61%, n=166) concerning clinical issues (57%, n=155). A sole telephone advice was the main type of answer provided (56%, n=147) and a visit to the emergency room was prevented for 17% of calls. The assistance line activity is adequate with its missions and seems to facilitate patients' healthcare delivery advocating for the development of similar structures in other units. Improvements relating to the information, availability and physicians' training should be considered. Copyright © 2015 Société nationale française de médecine interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Experiences of self-practice/self-reflection in cognitive behavioural therapy: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Gale, Corinne; Schröder, Thomas

2014-12-01

Self-practice/self-reflection is a valuable training strategy which involves therapists applying therapeutic techniques to themselves, and reflecting on the process. To undertake a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies exploring therapists' experiences of self-practice/self-reflection in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This would integrate, and interpret, the current literature in order to develop a new understanding, and contribute to the development of CBT training programmes. The meta-synthesis encompassed three distinct phases: undertaking a comprehensive and systematic literature search; critically appraising the papers; and synthesising the data using the meta-ethnographic method. The literature search identified 378 papers, ten met the criteria for inclusion. After critical appraisal, all were included in the synthesis. The synthesis identified 14 constructs, which fell into three broad categories: 'experience of self-practice/self-reflection'; 'outcomes of self-practice/self-reflection'; and 'implications for training'. This synthesis found that self-practice allows therapists to put themselves into their clients' shoes, experiencing the benefits that therapy can bring but also the problems that clients can run in to. This experience increases therapists' empathy for their clients, allowing them to draw on their own experiences in therapy. As a result, therapists tend to feel both more confident in themselves and more competent as a therapist. The self-practice/self-reflection process was facilitated by reflective writing and working with others, particularly peers. Self-practice/self-reflection is a valuable training strategy in CBT, which has a range of beneficial outcomes. It can also be used as a means of continuing personal and professional development. Self-practice of CBT techniques, and reflecting on the process, can be a useful training strategy and helpful for ongoing development Therapists could consider developing a 'self-case' study

The influence of triple bottom line on international operations management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco Sperotto Flores

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper takes a triple bottom line perspective to analyze how the international operations literature integrates economic, social, and environmental issues. Additionally, it shows the main drivers of and barriers to the adoption of triple bottom line practices by companies in an international context. We conducted a literature review in English language journals which publish research of production and operations management and sustainability, resulting in a final sample of 29 papers. Results show that social and legal pressure for companies to adopt a responsible behavior prompts an isomorphic process that leads them to conduct their operations on behalf of triple bottom line goals. Behavioral differences between spin-offs in various countries caused institutions to create mechanisms that can press and change private standards through regulation and enforcement. There is room for progress in studies that seek to analyze the company’s relationships in its international experience and its multi-institutional relations.

Practical experience with the fuel monitoring at Dukovany NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kment, J.; Svoboda, R.; Valach, M.

1994-01-01

A brief description of the following activities of Dukovany NPP is given: fuel state monitoring during cycles; fuel state inspection during outages; fuel damage predictions and reality; prevention against fuel damage caused by PCI. The fuel state monitoring during cycles is conducted by on-line gamma spectrometer located under the by-pass pipelines of the water cleaning system. The system enables to carry out determination of the equilibrium activities of practically all significant gaseous fission products for energies from 80 KeV to 2 MeV. On-line activity measurements give reliable indication of a defect origin with the 133 Xe activity level of the order of tens k Bk/l. The gamma spectroscopy data are processed by KGO and PEPA software packages installed into the chemistry information system. KGO estimates the number of the damaged fuel elements and the extent of their damage. The activities of 133 Xe, 135 Xe, 137 Xe, 138 Xe, 87 Kr, 88 Kr and 89 Kr are used for evaluation of the number of 'leakers'. PEPA code predicts radiation set-up development, i.e. the activity levels of cca 20 radiologically significant nuclides in the primary coolant for the assumed reactor power mode. The fuel damage predictions during cycles are illustrated on two examples from the operational history of the Dukovany NPP. The utilization of the KGO-PEPA software contributes to a more high exploitation culture of the core from the point of view of fuel integrity maintenance. 3 refs

Strengthening practical wisdom: mental health workers' learning and development.

Science.gov (United States)

Eriksen, Kristin Ådnøy; Dahl, Hellen; Karlsson, Bengt; Arman, Maria

2014-09-01

Practical wisdom, understood as knowing how to be or act in any present situation with clients, is believed to be an essential part of the knowledge needed to be a professional mental health worker. Exploring processes of adapting, extending knowledge and refining tacit knowledge grounded in mental health workers' experiences with being in practice may bring awareness of how mental health workers reflect, learn and practice professional 'artistry'. The aim of the article was to explore mental health workers' processes of development and learning as they appeared in focus groups intended to develop practical wisdom. The main research question was 'How might the processes of development and learning contribute to developing practical wisdom in the individual as well as in the practice culture?' The design was multi-stage focus groups, and the same participants met four times. A phenomenological hermeneutical method for researching lived experience guided the analysis. Eight experienced mental health workers representing four Norwegian municipalities participated. The research context was community-based mental health services. The study was reported to Norwegian Social Data Services, and procedures for informed consent were followed. Two examples of processes of re-evaluation of experience (Association, Integration, Validation, Appropriation and Outcomes and action) were explored. The health workers had developed knowledge in previous encounters with clients. In sharing practice experiences, this knowledge was expressed and developed, and also tested and validated against the aims of practice. Discussions led to adapted and extended knowledge, and as tacit knowledge was expressed it could be used actively. Learning to reflect, being ready to be provoked and learning to endure indecisiveness may be foundational in developing practical wisdom. Openness is demanding, and changing habits of mind is difficult. Reflection on, and confrontation with, set practices are

Spectral Line Shapes in Plasmas and Gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oks, E.; Dalimier, D.; Stamm, R.; Stehle, CH.; Gonzalez, M.A.

2011-01-01

The subject of spectral line shapes (SLS), a.k.a. spectral line broadening, which embraces both shapes and shifts of spectral lines, is of both fundamental and practical importance. On the fundamental side, the study of the spectral line profiles reveals the underlying atomic and molecular interactions. On the practical side, the spectral line profiles are employed as powerful diagnostic tools for various media, such as neutral gases, technological gas discharges, magnetically confined plasmas for fusion, laser- and Z-pinch-produced plasmas (for fusion and other purposes), astrophysical plasmas (most importantly, solar plasmas), and planetary atmospheres. The research area covered by this special issue includes both the SLS dominated by various electric fields (including electron and ion micro fields in strongly ionized plasmas) and the SLS controlled by neutral particles. In the physical slang, the former is called plasma broadening while the latter is called neutral broadening (of course, the results of neutral broadening apply also to the spectral line broadening in neutral gases)

Power flow studies of magnetically insulated lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDaniel, D.H.; Poukey, J.W.; Bergeron, K.D.; VanDevender, J.P.; Johnson, D.L.

1977-01-01

The designs for relativistic electron beam accelerators with power levels of 20 to 100 TW are greatly restricted by the inductance of a single diode of reasonable size. This fact leads to modular designs of very large accelerators. One concept uses several small insulators at a large radius arranged around the accelerator center. The total effective inductance is then low, but the energy must then be transported by self-magnetic insulated vacuum lines to the target volume. A triplate vacuum line configuration eases many mechanical support problems and allows more A-K gaps or feeds to be packaged around a given radius. This type of vacuum transmission line was chosen for initial experiments at Sandia. The experiments were conducted on the MITE (Magnetically Insulated Transmission Experiment) accelerator. The water pulse forming lines are connected to a vacuum triplate line through a conventional stacked insulator. Diagnostics on the experiment consisted of: (1) input V; (2) input I; (3) I monitors at the input, middle, and output of both the center conductor and ground plane of the transmission line; (4) magnetic energy analyzer to view peak electron energy in the A-K gap; (5) calorimetry; and (6) Faraday cups to look at electron current flowing across the transmission line. The main goal of the experiment is to obtain input impedance of the transmission line as a function of voltage and to measure electron loss currents. These measurements are compared to theoretical models for the input impedance and energy losses

Current Practices in Global/International Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences: Preceptor and Student Considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Dornblaser, Emily K; Ratka, Anna; Gleason, Shaun E; Ombengi, David N; Tofade, Toyin; Wigle, Patricia R; Zapantis, Antonia; Ryan, Melody; Connor, Sharon; Jonkman, Lauren J; Ochs, Leslie; Jungnickel, Paul W; Abrons, Jeanine P; Alsharif, Naser Z

2016-04-25

The objective of this article is to describe the key areas of consideration for global/international advanced pharmacy practice experience (G/I APPE) preceptors, students and learning objectives. At the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the GPE SIG prepared and presented an initial report on the G/IAPPE initiatives. Round table discussions were conducted at the 2014 AACP Annual Meeting to document GPE SIG member input on key areas in the report. Literature search of PubMed, Google Scholar and EMBASE with keywords was conducted to expand this report. In this paper, considerations related to preceptors and students and learning outcomes are described. Preceptors for G/I APPEs may vary based on the learning outcomes of the experience. Student learning outcomes for G/I APPEs may vary based on the type of experiential site. Recommendations and future directions for development of G/IAPPEs are presented. Development of a successful G/I APPE requires significant planning and consideration of appropriate qualifications for preceptors and students.

Instructional Experiment of Practical Competencies-Oriented Teaching Materials in Technical Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Su-Chang

2010-01-01

This study aims to conduct experimental instruction on the human resource management unit of business management in practical competencies-oriented business program developed by Chen (2005). This study is based on the quasi-experiment method and the subjects are two classes of students in a four-year technical university who have completed the…

Adaptive stimulus optimization and model-based experiments for sensory systems neuroscience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher eDiMattina

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper we review several lines of recent work aimed at developing practical methods for adaptive on-line stimulus generation for sensory neurophysiology. We consider various experimental paradigms where on-line stimulus optimization is utilized, including the classical textit{optimal stimulus} paradigm where the goal of experiments is to identify a stimulus which maximizes neural responses, the textit{iso-response} paradigm which finds sets of stimuli giving rise to constant responses, and the textit{system identification} paradigm where the experimental goal is to estimate and possibly compare sensory processing models. We discuss various theoretical and practical aspects of adaptive firing rate optimization, including optimization with stimulus space constraints, firing rate adaptation, and possible network constraints on the optimal stimulus. We consider the problem of system identification, and show how accurate estimation of nonlinear models can be highly dependent on the stimulus set used to probe the network. We suggest that optimizing stimuli for accurate model estimation may make it possible to successfully identify nonlinear models which are otherwise intractable, and summarize several recent studies of this type. Finally, we present a two-stage stimulus design procedure which combines the dual goals of model estimation and model comparison and may be especially useful for system identification experiments where the appropriate model is unknown beforehand. We propose that fast, on-line stimulus optimization enabled by increasing computer power can make it practical to move sensory neuroscience away from a descriptive paradigm and towards a new paradigm of real-time model estimation and comparison.

"Don't worry, it's just poker!"--experience, self-rumination and self-reflection as determinants of decision-making in on-line poker.

Science.gov (United States)

Palomäki, Jussi; Laakasuo, Michael; Salmela, Mikko

2013-09-01

On-line poker is a game of chance and skill. The construct of poker playing skill has both a technical (game strategy-related) and an emotional (emotion regulation-related) aspect. A correlational on-line study (N = 354) was conducted to assess differences in technical skills and emotional characteristics related to poker playing style between experienced and inexperienced poker players. Results suggest that, with respect to emotional characteristics, experienced poker players engage in less self-rumination and more self-reflection, as compared to inexperienced players. Experienced poker players are also able to make better decisions, by mathematical standards, in a poker decision-making environment, as assessed by two fictitious on-line poker decision-making scenarios. Furthermore, this study provides supportive evidence that experienced poker players conceptualize the construct of "luck" differently from inexperienced players. A new poker playing experience scale (PES) for accurately measuring poker playing experience is presented in this paper.

Past Examination Questions in Senior Secondary Chemistry: From Written Practice to Hands-On Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Cheuk-Fai; So, Wing-Mui Winnie; Cheung, Tsz-Yan

2016-01-01

This study applied an unconventional use of past examination papers by converting questions into hands-on experiments for students. Students in an experimental group were engaged in use of those experiments while the remainder attended conventional lectures with written practice. The results reflect that the experimental group positively improved…

Sensors for on-line monitoring of water chemistry parameters for NPP's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alltonen, P.; Maekelae, K.

1997-01-01

The on-line monitoring of the water chemistry parameters of aqueous solutions in nuclear power plants is considered essential to control corrosion phenomena. New sensors and electrodes that can be used under plant operating conditions are key components to the application of this technology. The research and development programs are running to develop practical instruments. The experimental capabilities available to research high temperature and pressure phenomena is growing rapidly. It is now possible to experimentally measure all information needed to make estimations and predictions concerning reactions taking place in the coolant of an operating reactor. However, further development of devices and practical experiences are needed to meet the requirement of power stations. (author). 8 refs, 8 figs

Using Technology, Bioinformatics and Health Informatics Approaches to Improve Learning Experiences in Optometry Education, Research and Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vivek K. Gupta

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Rapid advances in ocular diagnostic approaches and emerging links of pathological changes in the eye with systemic disorders have widened the scope of optometry as the front line of eye health care. Expanding professional requirements stipulate that optometry students get a meticulous training in relevant information and communication technologies (ICT and various bioinformatics and health informatics software to meet current and future challenges. Greater incorporation of ICT approaches in optometry education can facilitate increased student engagement in shared learning experiences and improve collaborative learning. This, in turn, will enable students to participate in and prepare for the complex real-world situations. A judicious use of ICTs by teachers in learning endeavors can help students develop innovative patterns of thinking to be a successful optometry professional. ICT-facilitated learning enables students and professionals to carry out their own research and take initiatives and thus shifts the equilibrium towards self-education. It is important that optometry and allied vision science schools adapt to the changing professional requirements with pedagogical evolution and react appropriately to provide the best educational experience for the students and teachers. This review aims to highlight the scope of ICT applications in optometry education and professional development drawing from similar experiences in other disciplines. Further, while enhanced use of ICT in optometry has the potential to create opportunities for transformative learning experiences, many schools use it merely to reinforce conventional teaching practices. Tremendous developments in ICT should allow educators to consider using ICT tools to enhance communication as well as providing a novel, richer, and more meaningful medium for the comprehensive knowledge construction in optometry and allied health disciplines.

Using Technology, Bioinformatics and Health Informatics Approaches to Improve Learning Experiences in Optometry Education, Research and Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Vivek K; Gupta, Veer B

2016-11-15

Rapid advances in ocular diagnostic approaches and emerging links of pathological changes in the eye with systemic disorders have widened the scope of optometry as the front line of eye health care. Expanding professional requirements stipulate that optometry students get a meticulous training in relevant information and communication technologies (ICT) and various bioinformatics and health informatics software to meet current and future challenges. Greater incorporation of ICT approaches in optometry education can facilitate increased student engagement in shared learning experiences and improve collaborative learning. This, in turn, will enable students to participate in and prepare for the complex real-world situations. A judicious use of ICTs by teachers in learning endeavors can help students develop innovative patterns of thinking to be a successful optometry professional. ICT-facilitated learning enables students and professionals to carry out their own research and take initiatives and thus shifts the equilibrium towards self-education. It is important that optometry and allied vision science schools adapt to the changing professional requirements with pedagogical evolution and react appropriately to provide the best educational experience for the students and teachers. This review aims to highlight the scope of ICT applications in optometry education and professional development drawing from similar experiences in other disciplines. Further, while enhanced use of ICT in optometry has the potential to create opportunities for transformative learning experiences, many schools use it merely to reinforce conventional teaching practices. Tremendous developments in ICT should allow educators to consider using ICT tools to enhance communication as well as providing a novel, richer, and more meaningful medium for the comprehensive knowledge construction in optometry and allied health disciplines.

Differences in the emotional and practical experiences of exclusively breastfeeding and combination feeding mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Komninou, Sophia; Fallon, Victoria; Halford, Jason Christian Grovenor; Harrold, Joanne Alison

2017-07-01

The majority of research examining the barriers to breastfeeding focuses on the physical challenges faced by mothers rather than the risks of encountering negative emotional and practical feeding experiences. We aimed to quantify the emotional and practical experiences of the overall sample of breastfeeding mothers and identify the differences in the emotional and practical experiences of exclusively breastfeeding mothers and combination feeding mothers, by feeding type and intention. Eight hundred forty-five mothers with infants up to 26 weeks of age and who had initiated breastfeeding were recruited through relevant social media via advertisements providing a link to an online survey. Predictors of emotional experiences included guilt, stigma, satisfaction with feeding method, and the need to defend themselves due to infant feeding choices. Practical predictors included perceived support from health professionals, main sources of infant feeding information, and respect from their everyday environment, workplace, and when breastfeeding in public. Current feeding type and prenatal feeding intention. In the overall sample, 15% of the mothers reported feeling guilty, 38% stigmatized, and 55% felt the need to defend their feeding choice. Binary logit models revealed that guilt and dissatisfaction were directly associated with feeding type, being higher when supplementing with formula. No associations with feeding intention were identified. This study demonstrates a link between current breastfeeding promotion strategies and the emotional state of breastfeeding mothers who supplement with formula to any extent. To minimize the negative impact on maternal well-being, it is important that future recommendations recognize the challenges that exclusive breastfeeding brings and provide a more balanced and realistic target for mothers. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Coherent optical transients observed in rubidium atomic line filtered Doppler velocimetry experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fajardo, Mario E., E-mail: mario.fajardo@eglin.af.mil; Molek, Christopher D.; Vesely, Annamaria L. [Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Directorate, Ordnance Division, Energetic Materials Branch, AFRL/RWME, 2306 Perimeter Road, Eglin AFB, Florida 32542-5910 (United States)

2015-10-14

We report the first successful results from our novel Rubidium Atomic Line Filtered (RALF) Doppler velocimetry apparatus, along with unanticipated oscillatory signals due to coherent optical transients generated within pure Rb vapor cells. RALF is a high-velocity and high-acceleration extension of the well-known Doppler Global Velocimetry (DGV) technique for constructing multi-dimensional flow velocity vector maps in aerodynamics experiments [H. Komine, U.S. Patent No. 4,919,536 (24 April 1990)]. RALF exploits the frequency dependence of pressure-broadened Rb atom optical absorptions in a heated Rb/N{sub 2} gas cell to encode the Doppler shift of reflected near-resonant (λ{sub 0} ≈ 780.24 nm) laser light onto the intensity transmitted by the cell. The present RALF apparatus combines fiber optic and free-space components and was built to determine suitable operating conditions and performance parameters for the Rb/N{sub 2} gas cells. It yields single-spot velocities of thin laser-driven-flyer test surfaces and incorporates a simultaneous Photonic Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) channel [Strand et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 77, 083108 (2006)] for validation of the RALF results, which we demonstrate here over the v = 0 to 1 km/s range. Both RALF and DGV presume the vapor cells to be simple Beer's Law optical absorbers, so we were quite surprised to observe oscillatory signals in experiments employing low pressure pure Rb vapor cells. We interpret these oscillations as interference between the Doppler shifted reflected light and the Free Induction Decay (FID) coherent optical transient produced within the pure Rb cells at the original laser frequency; this is confirmed by direct comparison of the PDV and FID signals. We attribute the different behaviors of the Rb/N{sub 2} vs. Rb gas cells to efficient dephasing of the atomic/optical coherences by Rb-N{sub 2} collisions. The minimum necessary N{sub 2} buffer gas density ≈0.3 amagat translates into a

Positioning Learning Design: Learner Experience and the challenges of transforming teaching practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Johnson, Mark; Griffiths, Dai; Hanslot, Zubair

2010-01-01

Johnson, M., Griffiths, D., & Hanslot, Z. (2010). Positioning Learning Design: Learner Experience and the challenges of transforming teaching practice. In D. Griffiths, & R. Koper (Eds.), Rethinking Learning and Employment at a Time of Economic Uncertainty. Proceedings of the 6th TENCompetence Open

The comparison of birth outcomes and birth experiences of low-risk women in different sized midwifery practices in the Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Fontein, Yvonne

2010-09-01

To examine maternal birth outcomes and birth experiences of low-risk women in the Netherlands in different sized midwifery practices. Descriptive study using postal questionnaires six weeks after the estimated due date. Women were recruited from urban, semi-rural and rural areas from small-sized practices (1-2 midwives), medium-sized practices (3-4 midwives) or large-sized practices (5 or more). 718 Dutch speaking women with uncomplicated pregnancies, a representative sample of women in 143 midwifery practices in the Netherlands who had given birth in the period between 20 April and 20 May 2007. Distribution of place of birth categories and intervention categories, birth experience, woman-midwife relationship and presence of own midwife after referral. Data were analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Women in practices with a maximum of two midwives were significantly more likely to experience lower rates of referral, interventions in general and specifically pain relief by means of pethidine, CTG registration and unplanned caesarean sections. Women with a maximum of two midwives were significantly more likely to know their midwife or midwives and were more frequently supported by their own midwife after referral in comparison to women in practices with more than two midwives. The presence of the woman's own midwife added value to the birth experience. Women with a maximum of two midwives had higher levels of a positive birth experience than women in practices with more than two midwives. Midwifery practices with a maximum of two midwives contribute to non-interventionist birth and a positive birth experience. Awareness of the study results and further study is recommended to discuss reorganization of care in order to achieve significant reductions on referral and interventions during childbirth and positive maternal birth experiences. Copyright (c) 2010 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design of a Flexible Hardware Interface for Multiple Remote Electronic practical Experiments of Virtual Laboratory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farah Said

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work is to present a new design of a Flexible Hardware Interface (FHI based on PID control techniques to use in a virtual laboratory. This flexible hardware interface allows the easy implementation of different and multiple remote electronic practical experiments for undergraduate engineering classes. This interface can be viewed as opened hardware architecture to easily develop simple or complex remote experiments in the electronic domain. The philosophy of the use of this interface can also be expanded to many other domains as optic experiments for instance. It is also demonstrated that software can be developed to enable remote measurements of electronic circuits or systems using only Web site Interface. Using standard browsers (such as Internet explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari, different students can have a remote access to different practical experiments at a time.

Experience with an end-of-life practice at a university hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, M L; Frank, R R

1997-01-01

To describe a 10-yr experience with an end-of-life practice in a hospital. A nonexperimental, prospective, descriptive design was used to record variables from a convenience sample of patients transferred to the Comprehensive Supportive Care Team. Detroit Receiving Hospital is an urban, university-affiliated, Level I trauma/emergency hospital. Patients who are not expected to survive hospitalization, and for whom a decision has been made to focus care on palliative interventions, are candidates for care by this practice. None. Patient demographics, including the following information: age, gender; diagnoses; illness severity; mortality rate; and disposition. Measures of resource utilization included: referral sources; Therapeutic intervention Scoring System values; bed costs; and length of hospital stay. Satisfactory patient/family care with a measurable reeducation in the use of resources can be achieved in the hospital setting. A hands-on approach to the care of dying patients by this specialty, palliative care service has provided patients, families, and clinicians with the type of support needed for satisfactory end-of-life care. A summary of our experience may be useful to others.

The Attitudes and Practices that Shape Children's Drawing Experience at Home and at School

Science.gov (United States)

Burkitt, Esther; Jolley, Richard; Rose, Sarah

2010-01-01

Concept: Few empirical studies have investigated the influence of teachers, parents and children on children's drawing experience. The current study aims to examine the attitudes and practices of these three key players that shape children's drawing experience. Method: A survey methodology was used, as typically found in previous research in this…

Living large: the experiences of large-bodied women when accessing general practice services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Russell N

2013-09-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Numerous studies report high levels of stigma and discrimination experienced by obese/overweight women within the health care system and society at large. Despite general practice being the most utilised point of access for health care services, there is very little international or national exploration of the experiences of large-bodied women (LBW accessing these services. The aim of this study was to explore LBW's experiences of accessing general practice services in New Zealand. METHODS: This is a qualitative, descriptive, feminist study. Local advertising for participants resulted in eight self-identified, large-bodied women being interviewed. A post-structural feminist lens was applied to the data during thematic analysis. FINDINGS: The women in this study provided examples of verbal insults, inappropriate humour, negative body language, unmet health care needs and breaches of dignity from health care providers in general practice. Seven themes were identified: early experiences of body perception, confronting social stereotypes, contending with feminine beauty ideals, perceptions of health, pursuing health, respecting the whole person, and feeling safe to access care. CONCLUSION: Pressure for body size vigilance has, in effect, excluded the women in this study from the very locations of health that they are 'encouraged' to attend-including socialising and exercising in public, screening opportunities that require bodily exposure, and accessing first point of care health services.

Creative reflections on Enhancing Practice 16: new explorations, insights and inspirations for practice developers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debbie Baldie

2016-11-01

Full Text Available It began two years ago, then Arriving in Edinburgh the enthusiasm abounds. The first day arrives – oozing anticipation. Great to gather old friends, new friends; Clans and clever creativity, having fun Energy in the room, creating, innovating, Creative ways transforming minds, creating impact. The International Practice Development Collaborative (IPDC is loose network of practice developers, academics and researchers who are committed to working together to develop healthcare practice. The IPDC believes that the aim of practice development is to work with people to develop person-centred cultures that are dignified, compassionate and safer for all. One of its four pillars of work is a biennial Enhancing Practice conference. Moving round the world, the IPDC members take it in turns to host the conference; in early September 2016 it was the turn of Queen Margaret University (QMU in Edinburgh. This article has been created collaboratively by a number of the people who attended this three-day conference. The IPDJ team invited participants to offer ‘the line of a poem’ that captured or reflected their experience and/or learning. These were then collected and shared, and together we created a series of poems and a collection of haiku (a three-line Japanese poem with 17 syllables, 5-7-5. Other participants have subsequently offered reflections, which we would also like to share with you here. We offer this article to you, as a celebration of our time together; our learning, connections and creating, in the hope that there might be some learning in here for you and that you may consider joining us at our next conference in Basel, Switzerland in 2018.

Development of Superconducting Combined Function Magnets for the Proton Transport Line for the J-PARC Neutrino Experiments

CERN Document Server

Nakamoto, Tatsushi; Anerella, Michael; Escallier, John; Fujii, T; Fukui, Yuji; Ganetis, George; Gupta, Ramesh C; Harrison, Michael; Hashiguchi, E; Higashi, Norio; Ichikawa, Atsuko; Iwamoto, Yosuke; Jain, Animesh K; Kanahara, T; Kimura, Nobuhiro; Kobayashi, Takashi; Makida, Yasuhiro; Muratore, Joseph F; Obana, Tetsuhiro; Ogitsu, T; Ohhata, Hirokatsu; Okamura, T; Orikasa, T; Parker, Brett; Sasaki, Ken Ichi; Takasaki, Minoru; Tanaka, Ken Ichi; Terashima, Akio; Tomaru, Takayuki; Wanderer, Peter; Yamamoto, Akira

2005-01-01

A second generation of long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments has been proposed as one of the main projects at J-PARC jointly built by JAERI and KEK. Superconducting combined function magnets, SCFMs, will be utilized for the 50 GeV, 750 kW proton beam line for the neutrino experiment and an R&D program is in underway at KEK. The magnet is designed to provide a combined function of a dipole field of 2.6 T with a quadrupole field of 19 T/m in a coil aperture of 173.4 mm. A series of 28 magnets in the beam line will be operated DC in supercritical helium cooling below 5 K. A design feature of the SCFM is the left-right asymmetry of the coil cross section: current distributions for superimposed dipole- and quadrupole- fields are combined in a single layer coil. Another design feature is the adoption of glass-fiber reinforced phenolic plastic spacers to replace the conventional metallic collars. To evaluate this unique design, fabrication of full-scale prototype magnets is in progress at KEK and the fi...

The Transmission Line for the SPIDER experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boldrin, Marco; De Lorenzi, Antonio; Recchia, Mauro; Toigo, Vanni; Bonicelli, Tullio; Simon, Muriel

2011-01-01

The 100 keV Ion Source Test facility - Source for the Production of Ions of Deuterium Extracted from RF plasma (SPIDER) - is aimed to test the full scale prototype of the Ion Source for the ITER 1 MeV Neutral Beam Injector (NBI). The SPIDER facility requires the construction of a High Voltage Deck (HVD) and of a High Voltage Transmission Line (TL) respectively to host the Ion Source Power Supplies system polarized at 100 kV and to carry the power and signal conductors to the beam accelerator. In already existing NBI systems with beam energy above 100 keV, the TL is realized with the SF 6 Gas Insulated Line technology. In the SPIDER TL case, the presence of a large inner conductor (half meter diameter), would make the pressurized TL a complex and costly component; therefore a free air insulated solution has been proposed. The paper focuses on the design of this TL, which has to host inside the complex high potential (100 kV) inner electrode a number of power and measuring conductors and has to minimize the Electro Magnetic Interferences (EMI) produced by the frequent grids breakdowns. Finite Element (FE) analyses have been performed to verify the configuration from the electrostatic point of view, to evaluate EMI screening effectiveness and to assess the impact of the relatively high thermal dissipation of power conductors located inside the high potential electrode. Moreover, an experimental test campaign has been carried out on a TL mockup to validate the TL electrostatic configuration under DC voltage. Finally, the paper reports on the status of procurement activities for the Transmission Line.

The influence of leadership practices and empowerment on Canadian nurse manager outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Spence Laschinger, Heather K; Wong, Carol A; Grau, Ashley L; Read, Emily A; Pineau Stam, Lisa M

2012-10-01

To examine the influence of senior nurse leadership practices on middle and first-line nurse managers' experiences of empowerment and organizational support and ultimately on their perceptions of patient care quality and turnover intentions. Empowering leadership has played an important role in staff nurse retention but there is limited research to explain the mechanisms by which leadership influences nurse managers' turnover intentions. This study was a secondary analysis of data collected using non-experimental, predictive mailed survey design. Data from 231 middle and 788 first-line Canadian acute care managers was used to test the hypothesized model using path analysis in each group. The results showed an adequate fit of the hypothesized model in both groups but with an added path between leadership practices and support in the middle line group. Transformational leadership practices of senior nurses empower middle- and first-line nurse managers, leading to increased perceptions of organizational support, quality care and decreased intent to leave. Empowered nurse managers at all levels who feel supported by their organizations are more likely to stay in their roles, remain committed to achieving quality patient care and act as influential role models for potential future leaders. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A line code with quick-resynchronization capability and low latency for the optical data links of LHC experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, B; He, M; Chen, J; Guo, D; Hou, S; Teng, P-K; Li, X; Liu, C; Xiang, A C; Ye, J; Gong, D; Liu, T; You, Y

2014-01-01

We propose a line code that has fast resynchronization capability and low latency. Both the encoder and decoder have been implemented in FPGAs. The encoder has also been implemented in an ASIC. The latency of the whole optical link (not including the optical fiber) is estimated to be less than 73.9 ns. In the case of radiation-induced link synchronization loss, the decoder can recover the synchronization in 25 ns. The line code will be used in the ATLAS liquid argon calorimeter Phase-I trigger upgrade and can also be potentially used in other LHC experiments

Learning the psychology of the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon through on-line practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcos Ruiz

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Psychology undergraduates can benefit from direct experiences with laboratory procedures of psychological phenomena. However, they are not always available for students within a distance education program. The present study included students from the Spanish National Distance Education University (UNED that were to take part in a Basic Psychology examination session. They participated in web-sessions on a tip-of-the-tongue (TOT laboratory procedure. The aim was to study whether their performance at TOT-related items would be differentially improved. Our results support the conclusion that practicing with the TOT application was effective in improving the TOT comprehension among students. Study A showed that the performance level was higher for the TOT-practiced participants relative to the non-practiced ones. Study B showed significant group by item-type interaction. Also, there was a significant effect of group, and item-type. The results are contextualized in the psychological institutions’ mainstream effort for Psychology to be viewed as a STEM discipline by students, the political representatives, and the society.

Understanding foreign language teachers’ practical knowledge: What’s the role of prior language learning experience?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sibel Arıoğul

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Teachers’ practical knowledge is considered as teachers’ general knowledge, beliefsand thinking (Borg, 2003 which can be traced in teachers’ practices (Connelly & Clandinin,1988 and shaped by various background sources (Borg, 2003; Grossman, 1990; Meijer,Verloop, and Beijard, 1999. This paper initially discusses how language teachers areinfluenced by three background sources: teachers’ prior language learning experiences, priorteaching experience, and professional coursework in pre- and in-service education. Bydrawing its data from the author’s longitidunal study, it also presents the findings of a crosscasetheme emerged from the investigation of three English as a foreign language (EFLteachers’ prior language learning experiences. The paper also discusses how the participationin studies on teachers’ knowledge raises teachers’ own awareness while it informs theresearch.

Management of advanced pancreatic cancer in daily clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Giuliani, Jacopo; Piacentini, Paolo; Bonetti, Andrea

2016-01-01

The aim of this outcome study was to evaluate the management of advanced pancreatic cancer in a real-world clinical practice; few such experiences have been reported in the literature. A retrospective analysis was performed of all consecutive patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma followed at our medical oncology unit between January 2003 and December 2013. We evaluated 78 patients, mostly with metastatic disease (64.1%). Median follow-up was 10.77 months, by which time 74 patients (94.9%) had died. Median overall survival was 8.29 months. Median age was 67 years. In univariate analysis, pain at onset (p = 0.020), ECOG performance status (p<0.001), stage (p = 0.047), first-line chemotherapy (p<0.001), second-line chemotherapy (p<0.001) and weight loss at diagnosis (p = 0.029) were factors that had an impact on overall survival. In multivariate analysis, the presence of pain at onset (p = 0.043), stage (p = 0.003) and second-line chemotherapy (p = 0.004) were confirmed as independent prognostic factors. Our data, derived from daily clinical practice, confirmed advanced pancreatic cancer as an aggressive malignant disease with a very short expected survival. Second-line treatment seems to provide an advantage in terms of overall survival in patients who showed a partial response as their best response to first-line treatment.

Research and application on imaging technology of line structure light based on confocal microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Wenfeng; Xiao, Zexin; Wang, Xiaofen

2009-11-01

In 2005, the theory of line structure light confocal microscopy was put forward firstly in China by Xingyu Gao and Zexin Xiao in the Institute of Opt-mechatronics of Guilin University of Electronic Technology. Though the lateral resolution of line confocal microscopy can only reach or approach the level of the traditional dot confocal microscopy. But compared with traditional dot confocal microscopy, it has two advantages: first, by substituting line scanning for dot scanning, plane imaging only performs one-dimensional scanning, with imaging velocity greatly improved and scanning mechanism simplified, second, transfer quantity of light is greatly improved by substituting detection hairline for detection pinhole, and low illumination CCD is used directly to collect images instead of photoelectric intensifier. In order to apply the line confocal microscopy to practical system, based on the further research on the theory of the line confocal microscopy, imaging technology of line structure light is put forward on condition of implementation of confocal microscopy. Its validity and reliability are also verified by experiments.

Practical experience with the fuel monitoring at Dukovany NPP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kment, J [Jaderna Elektrarna, Dukovany (Czech Republic); Svoboda, R; Valach, M [Ustav Jaderneho Vyzkumu a.s., Rez (Czech Republic)

1994-12-31

A brief description of the following activities of Dukovany NPP is given: fuel state monitoring during cycles; fuel state inspection during outages; fuel damage predictions and reality; prevention against fuel damage caused by PCI. The fuel state monitoring during cycles is conducted by on-line gamma spectrometer located under the by-pass pipelines of the water cleaning system. The system enables to carry out determination of the equilibrium activities of practically all significant gaseous fission products for energies from 80 KeV to 2 MeV. On-line activity measurements give reliable indication of a defect origin with the {sup 133}Xe activity level of the order of tens k Bk/l. The gamma spectroscopy data are processed by KGO and PEPA software packages installed into the chemistry information system. KGO estimates the number of the damaged fuel elements and the extent of their damage. The activities of {sup 133}Xe, {sup 135}Xe, {sup 137}Xe, {sup 138}Xe, {sup 87}Kr, {sup 88}Kr and {sup 89}Kr are used for evaluation of the number of `leakers`. PEPA code predicts radiation set-up development, i.e. the activity levels of cca 20 radiologically significant nuclides in the primary coolant for the assumed reactor power mode. The fuel damage predictions during cycles are illustrated on two examples from the operational history of the Dukovany NPP. The utilization of the KGO-PEPA software contributes to a more high exploitation culture of the core from the point of view of fuel integrity maintenance. 3 refs.

The establishment of the Croatian Dental Crops: the front-line experience of a dentist volunteer.

Science.gov (United States)

Jelaca-Bagić, S; Sipina, J; Visković, R; Cakarun, Z; Vlatković, I; Biloglav, D

1997-01-01

The establishment of the first dental office of the Croatian Dental Corps (CDC) in the city of Zadar represented at the same time the beginning of the CDC. This article describes the front-line experience of a dentist who volunteered to provide basic medical help, which eventually laid the groundwork for providing general dental care and establishing the first CDC dental office. The office was opened on December 16, 1991, and provided general dental care except prosthetics. Although faced with numerous problems and extremely difficult conditions, the office staff completed 1,913 initial and 1,157 control checkups and performed 4,002 services by treating 12 to 16 patients per day. The main causes for emergencies were caries (59%) and endodontic complications (28%). This variety of services in the proximity of the front line is considered extensive even for advanced medical corps of modern armies.

Experience with on-line diagnostics for bushings and current transformers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brusetti, R.

2004-02-01

The application of on-line diagnostic techniques is advocated as an alternative, under certain conditions, for the conventional off-line power factor test used to evaluate the condition of bushings and current transformers. Bushings which are tied to critical system apparatus or which cannot be readily removed from service are considered to be excellent candidates for on-line diagnostics. A case history involving 138-KV bushings is used to demonstrate the value of the on-line diagnostic system which, by taking into account power factor capacitance values along with the rate of change, not only detected the high power factor associated with the bushings, but allowed the high power factor bushings to continue operating with a known problem for over a year. With conventional testing, bushings that exhibited this level of power factor would typically be removed from service. 4 refs., 3 figs.

A experiência de aprendizagem on-line em um curso de qualificação profissional em saúde The on-line learning experience in a course on professional qualification in health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josué Laguardia

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Este artigo analisa as percepções a atitudes dos tutores e alunos nos processos de aprendizagem em um curso de atualização profissional on-line. Para tal realizaram-se entrevistas com dez alunos e três tutores desse curso mediante a utilização de roteiros semiestruturados que abrangiam os seguintes aspectos: ingresso no curso, tecnologias, conteúdos, atividades de avaliação, tutoria; mediação e expectativas quanto ao curso. Os roteiros foram organizados em tópicos que possibilitassem identificar as condições estruturais para o uso das ferramentas disponíveis no ambiente virtual, os tipos de interação, apreensão de conteúdos, bem como as expectativas dos participantes com relação aos objetivos propostos pelo curso. Os relatos dos entrevistados apontam questões importantes a serem consideradas na concepção e gestão de cursos on-line, tais como a necessidade de readequação periódica da proposta pedagógica do curso para atender as demandas dos alunos e tutores quanto à organização e atualização dos conteúdos, os meios de acesso ao material e a implementação de atividades avaliativas compatíveis com a experiência de trabalho.This article examines the perceptions regarding tutor and student attitudes in the learning processes during an on-line professional refresher course. In the study, interviews were carried out among ten students and three tutors of the course by means of semi-structured roadmaps that covered the following aspects: admission to the course, technologies, content, assessment activities, mentoring, mediation, and expectations about the course. The roadmaps were organized into topics that would enable the identification of the structural conditions for the use of the tools that were available in the virtual environment, the types of interaction, the understanding of the content, as well as participants' expectations with respect to the objectives proposed by the course. The interviewees' reports

Detection of the "cp4 epsps" Gene in Maize Line NK603 and Comparison of Related Protein Structures: An Advanced Undergraduate Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Swope, Nicole K.; Fryfogle, Patrick J.; Sivy, Tami L.

2015-01-01

A flexible, rigorous laboratory experiment for upper-level biochemistry undergraduates is described that focuses on the Roundup Ready maize line. The work is appropriate for undergraduate laboratory courses that integrate biochemistry, molecular biology, or bioinformatics. In this experiment, DNA is extracted and purified from maize kernel and…

Navigating Theory and Practice through Evaluation Fieldwork: Experiences of Novice Evaluation Practitioners

Science.gov (United States)

Chouinard, Jill Anne; Boyce, Ayesha S.; Hicks, Juanita; Jones, Jennie; Long, Justin; Pitts, Robyn; Stockdale, Myrah

2017-01-01

To explore the relationship between theory and practice in evaluation, we focus on the perspectives and experiences of student evaluators, as they move from the classroom to an engagement with the social, political, and cultural dynamics of evaluation in the field. Through reflective journals, postcourse interviews, and facilitated group…

Sensors for on-line monitoring of water chemistry parameters for NPP`s

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alltonen, P; Maekelae, K [Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)

1997-02-01

The on-line monitoring of the water chemistry parameters of aqueous solutions in nuclear power plants is considered essential to control corrosion phenomena. New sensors and electrodes that can be used under plant operating conditions are key components to the application of this technology. The research and development programs are running to develop practical instruments. The experimental capabilities available to research high temperature and pressure phenomena is growing rapidly. It is now possible to experimentally measure all information needed to make estimations and predictions concerning reactions taking place in the coolant of an operating reactor. However, further development of devices and practical experiences are needed to meet the requirement of power stations. (author). 8 refs, 8 figs.

Long-distance pulse propagation on high-frequency dissipative nonlinear transmission lines/resonant tunneling diode line cascaded maps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klofai, Yerima; Essimbi, B Z; Jaeger, D

2011-01-01

Pulse propagation on high-frequency dissipative nonlinear transmission lines (NLTLs)/resonant tunneling diode line cascaded maps is investigated for long-distance propagation of short pulses. Applying perturbative analysis, we show that the dynamics of each line is reduced to an expanded Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers equation. Moreover, it is found by computer experiments that the soliton developed in NLTLs experiences an exponential amplitude decay on the one hand and an exponential amplitude growth on the other. As a result, the behavior of a pulse in special electrical networks made of concatenated pieces of lines is closely similar to the transmission of information in optical/electrical communication systems.

Long-distance pulse propagation on high-frequency dissipative nonlinear transmission lines/resonant tunneling diode line cascaded maps

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klofai, Yerima [Department of Physics, Higher Teacher Training College, University of Maroua, PO Box 46 Maroua (Cameroon); Essimbi, B Z [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde 1, PO Box 812 Yaounde (Cameroon); Jaeger, D, E-mail: bessimb@yahoo.fr [ZHO, Optoelectronik, Universitaet Duisburg-Essen, D-47048 Duisburg (Germany)

2011-10-15

Pulse propagation on high-frequency dissipative nonlinear transmission lines (NLTLs)/resonant tunneling diode line cascaded maps is investigated for long-distance propagation of short pulses. Applying perturbative analysis, we show that the dynamics of each line is reduced to an expanded Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers equation. Moreover, it is found by computer experiments that the soliton developed in NLTLs experiences an exponential amplitude decay on the one hand and an exponential amplitude growth on the other. As a result, the behavior of a pulse in special electrical networks made of concatenated pieces of lines is closely similar to the transmission of information in optical/electrical communication systems.

Electron beam effects on the spectroscopy of satellite lines in aluminum X-pinch experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdallah, J. Jr.; Csanak, G.; Clark, R.E.H.; Faenov, A.Ya.; Hammer, D.A.; Pikuz, S.A.; Romanova, P.N.; Shelkovenko, T.A.

1996-01-01

Aluminum wire X-pinch experiments performed at the Cornell University XP pulsed power generator and at the Lebedev Institute BIN generator show detailed high resolution spectra for satellite lines of Li-like, Be-like, B-like, and C-like ions. These lines, which correspond to transitions originating from autoionizing levels, are observed in the direction of the anode with respect to the bright X-pinch cross point. The intensities of these satellites are much smaller or absent in the direction of the cathode. Such transitions are caused by collisions of ions with energetic electrons (5-15 keV) which are created by the inductive voltage drop between the cross point and the anode. A collisional-radiative model was constructed using a non-Maxwellian electron energy distribution consisting of a thermal Maxwellian part plus a Gaussian part to represent the high energy electron beam. The shapes of the observed satellite structures are consistent with the calculated spectrum for electron temperatures between 30-100 eV, and beam densities of about 10 -7 times the plasma electron density. (author). 3 figs., 7 refs

Electron beam effects on the spectroscopy of satellite lines in aluminum X-pinch experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdallah, J Jr; Csanak, G; Clark, R E.H. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM (United States); Faenov, A Ya [VNIIFTRI, Mendeleevo (Russian Federation); Hammer, D A [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States); Pikuz, S A; Romanova, P N; Shelkovenko, T A [P.N. Lebedev Physical Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation)

1997-12-31

Aluminum wire X-pinch experiments performed at the Cornell University XP pulsed power generator and at the Lebedev Institute BIN generator show detailed high resolution spectra for satellite lines of Li-like, Be-like, B-like, and C-like ions. These lines, which correspond to transitions originating from autoionizing levels, are observed in the direction of the anode with respect to the bright X-pinch cross point. The intensities of these satellites are much smaller or absent in the direction of the cathode. Such transitions are caused by collisions of ions with energetic electrons (5-15 keV) which are created by the inductive voltage drop between the cross point and the anode. A collisional-radiative model was constructed using a non-Maxwellian electron energy distribution consisting of a thermal Maxwellian part plus a Gaussian part to represent the high energy electron beam. The shapes of the observed satellite structures are consistent with the calculated spectrum for electron temperatures between 30-100 eV, and beam densities of about 10{sup -7} times the plasma electron density. (author). 3 figs., 7 refs.

Doctors' experience with handheld computers in clinical practice: qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

McAlearney, Ann Scheck; Schweikhart, Sharon B; Medow, Mitchell A

2004-05-15

To examine doctors' perspectives about their experiences with handheld computers in clinical practice. Qualitative study of eight focus groups consisting of doctors with diverse training and practice patterns. Six practice settings across the United States and two additional focus group sessions held at a national meeting of general internists. 54 doctors who did or did not use handheld computers. Doctors who used handheld computers in clinical practice seemed generally satisfied with them and reported diverse patterns of use. Users perceived that the devices helped them increase productivity and improve patient care. Barriers to use concerned the device itself and personal and perceptual constraints, with perceptual factors such as comfort with technology, preference for paper, and the impression that the devices are not easy to use somewhat difficult to overcome. Participants suggested that organisations can help promote handheld computers by providing advice on purchase, usage, training, and user support. Participants expressed concern about reliability and security of the device but were particularly concerned about dependency on the device and over-reliance as a substitute for clinical thinking. Doctors expect handheld computers to become more useful, and most seem interested in leveraging (getting the most value from) their use. Key opportunities with handheld computers included their use as a stepping stone to build doctors' comfort with other information technology and ehealth initiatives and providing point of care support that helps improve patient care.

Practical Ways Psychotherapy Can Support Physical Healthcare Experiences for Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Science.gov (United States)

Hovey, Angela; Stalker, Carol A.; Schachter, Candice L.; Teram, Eli; Lasiuk, Gerri

2011-01-01

Many survivors of child sexual abuse who engage in psychotherapy also experience physical health problems. This article summarizes the findings of a multiphased qualitative study about survivors' experiences in healthcare settings. The study informed the development of the "Handbook on Sensitive Practice for Health Care Practitioners: Lessons…

Airplane Ice Detector Based on a Microwave Transmission Line

Science.gov (United States)

Ngo, Phong; Arndt, G. Dickey; Carl, James R.

2004-01-01

An electronic instrument that could detect the potentially dangerous buildup of ice on an airplane wing is undergoing development. The instrument is based on a microwave transmission line configured as a capacitance probe: at selected spots, the transmission-line conductors are partly exposed to allow any ice and/or liquid water present at those spots to act as predominantly capacitive electrical loads on the transmission line. These loads change the input impedance of the transmission line, as measured at a suitable excitation frequency. Thus, it should be possible to infer the presence of ice and/or liquid water from measurements of the input impedance and/or electrical parameters related to the input impedance. The sensory transmission line is of the microstrip type and thus thin enough to be placed on an airplane wing without unduly disturbing airflow in flight. The sensory spots are small areas from which the upper layer of the microstrip has been removed to allow any liquid water or ice on the surface to reach the transmission line. The sensory spots are spaced at nominal open-circuit points, which are at intervals of a half wavelength (in the transmission line, not in air) at the excitation frequency. The excitation frequency used in the experiments has been 1 GHz, for which a half wavelength in the transmission line is .4 in. (.10 cm). The figure depicts a laboratory prototype of the instrument. The impedance-related quantities chosen for use in this version of the instrument are the magnitude and phase of the scattering parameter S11 as manifested in the in-phase (I ) and quadrature (Q) outputs of the phase detector. By careful layout of the transmission line (including the half-wavelength sensor spacing), one can ensure that the amplitude and phase of the input to the phase detector keep shifting in the same direction as ice forms on one or more of the sensor areas. Although only one transmission-line sensor strip is used in the laboratory version, in a

Generation of the line radiation of argon added to DT gas in Iskra-5 experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bel'kov, S.A.; Bessarab, A.V.; Veselov, A.V.; Gaidash, V.A.; Dolgoleva, G.V.; Zhidkov, N.V.; Izgorodin, V.M.; Kirillov, G.A.; Kochemasov, G.G.; Litvin, D.N.; Martynenko, S.P.; Mitrofanov, E.I.; Murugov, V.M.; Mkhitar'yan, L.S.; Petrov, S.I.; Pinegin, A.V.; Punin, V.T.; Suslov, N.A.

1998-01-01

The first experiments measuring the density of a compressed deuterium and tritium mixture in microtargets of indirect irradiation (x-ray targets) were performed at the Iskra-5 facility. The density was determined according to the broadening of the lines of hydrogen- and helium-like argon added to the DT gas as a diagnostics material. A series of three experiments was performed with x-ray targets in which the central capsule filled with a DT+Ar mixture over a range of shell thicknesses. In two of the experiments, argon emission spectra were recorded and the density of the compressed gas was determined. For a microtarget approximately 280 μm in diameter with a wall approximately 7 μm thick, an analysis of the experimental results yielded an estimated density in the compressed gas of ∼1 g/cm 3 . Gas-dynamic calculations using the SNDA (spectral nonequilibrium diffusion with absorption) program show that argon emission takes place just after reaching maximum temperature, but much sooner than maximum compression. The results of a calculation for an experiment with low relative Ar concentration are in overall agreement with the experimental data. Additional investigations are needed to interpret experiments at a relatively high concentration

Midwives' perceptions and experiences of health promotion practice in Ghana.

Science.gov (United States)

Owusu-Addo, Ebenezer

2015-09-01

This research explores midwives' perceptions and experiences of health promotion practice in Ghana. A qualitative descriptive exploratory design was used in order to gain better insight into midwives' perceptions and experiences of health promotion practice. A total of 21 midwives took part in the study. Data were collected by individual in-depth semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcript. Five dominant themes emerged from the interview transcripts, namely: health promotion as education, health promotion activities, the value of health promotion, client participation, and midwives' barriers to promoting health. Although midwives underscored the importance of health promotion to their work, their reports indicated that, in practice, midwives mostly delivered health education and behaviour change communication rather than health promotion. The midwives expressed the view that by way of their close association with women, they were in a better position to influence women's health. Health promotion activities engaged by the midwives included weight management, healthy eating, infection prevention, personal hygiene, counselling on family planning, and screening for hazardous and harmful substance use such as alcohol and smoking. All the midwives mentioned that clients participated in their health promotion activities. Factors that were identified by the midwives to enhance client participation were trust, attitude of the midwife, building rapport, creating enabling environment, listening and paying attention to clients and using simple language. The barriers to health promotion identified by the midwives included time, stress, culture, lack of training and inadequate health educational materials. Midwives in this study had limited knowledge about health promotion, yet could play a significant role in influencing health; thus there is a need for on-going in-service training for midwives to focus on health promotion. © The Author

The paradox of vaginal examination practice during normal childbirth: Palestinian women’s feelings, opinions, knowledge and experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hassan Sahar J

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Vaginal examination (VE, is a frequent procedure during childbirth. It is the most accepted ways to assess progress during childbirth, but its repetition at short intervals has no value. Over years, VE continued to be plagued by a nature that implies negative feelings and experiences of women. The aim of this exploratory qualitative study was to explore women’s feelings, opinions, knowledge and experiences of vaginal examinations (VE during normal childbirth. Methods We interviewed 176 postpartum women using semi-structured questionnaire in a Palestinian public hospital in the oPt. Descriptive statistics were conducted; frequency counts and percentages for the quantitative questions. The association between the frequency of VE and age, parity, years of education, locale and the time of delivery was tested by Chi-squared and Fisher’s Exact test. The open-ended qualitative questions were read line-by-line for the content and coded. The assigned codes for all responses were entered to the SPSS statistical software version 18. Results As compared with WHO recommendations, VE was conducted too frequently, and by too many providers during childbirth. The proportion of women who received a ‘too high’ frequency of VEs during childbirth was significantly larger in primipara as compared to multipara women (P = .037. 82% of women reported pain or severe pain and 68% reported discomfort during VE. Some women reported insensitive approaches of providers, insufficient means of privacy and no respect of dignity or humanity during the exam. Conclusions Palestinian women are undergoing unnecessary and frequent VEs during childbirth, conducted by several different providers and suffer pain and discomfort un-necessarily. Practice implications Adhering to best evidence, VE during childbirth should be conducted only when necessary, and if possible, by the same provider. This will decrease the laboring women’s unnecessary suffering

Line Emission and X-ray Line Polarization of Multiply Ionized Mo Ions

Science.gov (United States)

Petkov, E. E.; Safronova, A. S.; Kantsyrev, V. L.; Shlyaptseva, V. V.; Stafford, A.; Safronova, U. I.; Shrestha, I. K.; Schultz, K. A.; Childers, R.; Cooper, M. C.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Hell, N.; Brown, G. V.

2016-10-01

We present a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of the line emission from multiply ionized Mo ions produced by two different sets of experiments: at LLNL EBIT and the pulsed power generator Zebra at UNR. Mo line emission and polarization measurements were accomplished at EBIT for the first time. In particular, benchmarking experiments at the LLNL EBIT with Mo ions produced at electron beam energies from 2.75 keV up to 15 keV allowed us to break down these very complicated spectra into spectra with only few ionization stages and to select processes that influence them as well as to measure line polarization. The EBIT data were recorded using the EBIT Calorimeter Spectrometer and a crystal spectrometer with a Ge crystal. X-ray Mo spectra and pinhole images were collected from Z-pinch plasmas produced from various wire loads. Non-LTE modeling, high-precision relativistic atomic and polarization data were used to analyze L-shell Mo spectra. The influence of different plasma processes including electron beams on Mo line radiation is summarized. This work was supported by NNSA under DOE Grant DE-NA0002954. Experiments at the NTF/UNR were funded in part by DE-NA0002075. Work at LLNL was performed under the auspices of the U.S. DOE under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Nurse leaders' experiences of implementing regulatory changes in sexual health nursing practice in British Columbia, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Bungay, Vicky; Stevenson, Janine

2013-05-01

Most research about regulatory policy change concerning expanded nursing activities has emphasized advanced practice roles and acute care settings. This study is a contribution to the small pool of research concerned with regulatory policy implementation for nurses undertaking expanded nursing practice activities in a public health context. Using the regulatory changes in certified nursing practice in one Canadian province as our starting point, we investigated the experiences of nurse leaders in implementing this change. Using a qualitative interpretive descriptive approach informed by tenets of complexity theory, we examined the experiences of 16 nurse leaders as situated within the larger public health care system in which nurses practice. Two interrelated themes, (a) preparing for certification and (b) the certification process, were identified to illustrate how competing and contrasting demands between health care and regulatory organizations created substantial barriers to policy change. Implications for health service delivery and future research are discussed.

THE USES OF HUMOR IN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE: ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL WORKERS’ EXPERIENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabrielė Vaitulionytė

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The article discusses how humor could enrich social work practice and guideline social workers. Social work field is not that traditionally relates with humor. While social work scholars argue that social work field is full of contradictions and humor is relevant tool to express those contradictions and paradoxes. In micro level practice Gitterman (2003 suggests humor could be a creative tool that “must be used differently based on client background, level of functioning, and specific situation”. Article presents results of qualitative study. The analysis of social workers’ professional experiences is based on social constructionism perspective with the aim to explain how humor is used in everyday practice and how use of purposive humor could be helpful in social work intervention. Episodic interviews with six social workers working in intercultural social work field were conducted. Transcripts of interviews were analyzed through conceptualization, developing story and maximizing aims of the study. Anonymity and confidentiality was considered. The results of analysis demonstrate that humor is unique experience in the sociocultural context. Discursive categories explain the purpose of humor for practice, circumstances and conditions for using that determine how the use of humor could contribute to the success of a social worker-client interaction. Using humor is considered as professional competence, which suggests that “having a good sense of humor” and appropriate use of humor with ability to demonstrate empathy and honesty in social worker-client interaction is an important part of social worker competence. Humor as a professional competence contained understanding of the humorous taboo. During analysis were explored how using humor and cultural stories of clients create mezzo level strategies for professional social work practice. Keywords: humor in social work practice, social work process, humor taboo.

Orthopaedic Resident Practice Management and Health Policy Education: Evaluation of Experience and Expectations.

Science.gov (United States)

Stautberg Iii, Eugene F; Romero, Jose; Bender, Sean; DeHart, Marc

2018-04-11

Introduction Practice management and health policy have generally not been considered integral to orthopaedic resident education. Our objective was to evaluate residents' current experience and knowledge, formal training, and desire for further education in practice management and health policy. Methods We developed a 29-question survey that was divided into three sections: practice management, initial employment opportunity, and health policy. Within each section, questions were directed at a resident's current experience and knowledge, formal training, and interest in further education. The survey was distributed at the end of the academic year through an Internet-based survey tool (www.surveymonkey.com) to orthopaedic residents representing multiple programs and all postgraduate years. Results The survey was distributed to 121 residents representing eight residency programs. Of those, 87 residents responded, resulting in a 72% response rate. All postgraduate years were represented. Regarding practice management, 66% had "no confidence" or "some confidence" in coding clinical encounters. When asked if practice models, finance management, and coding should be taught in residency, 95%, 93%, and 97% responded "yes," respectively. When evaluating first employment opportunities, the three most important factors were location, operating room block time, and call. Regarding health policy, 28% were "moderately familiar" or "very familiar" with the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, and 72% were "not familiar" or "somewhat familiar" with bundled payments for arthroplasty. Finally, when asked if yearly lectures in political activities would enhance resident education, 90% responded "yes." Discussion and conclusion Regarding practice management, the survey suggests that current orthopaedic residents are not familiar with basic topics, do not receive formal training, and want further education. The survey suggests that residents also receive minimal training in health policy

Practicing vaginistic femininity: Doing bodies, enacting normative heterosexuality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephanie Stelko

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Vaginismus is a female sexual pain disorder, characterized by contractions of the pubococcygeus (PC muscle that surrounds the outer third of the vagina, which makes penetrative penile-vaginal intercourse (coitus, insertion of a finger or tampon and gynecological examinations hard or impossible, and painful for the woman. The condition is believed to be associated with negative beliefs, attitudes or experiences related to sex. Vaginismus has important social repercussions in everyday life, which acquire meaning in the context of hegemonic heterosexuality. In line with theories of performativity, heterosexuality and gender are normatively and performatively linked sets of practices, with coitus being the central practice of heterosexuality and thus defining for one’s gender. Thus, the inability of vaginistic women to perform coitus impairs their performance of normative heterogender. In this article I address gender experiences of women with primary vaginismus, by looking at social and bodily practices they engage in. In the first part of the article, I explore how women with primary vaginismus do (vaginistic heterogender. In the second part I address the practices they do in order to ‘overcome’ vaginismus, thus improving their performance of normative heterogender, and argue that these practices are gendering themselves.

Experience with instrumentational monitoring of steam turbine foundations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linnemann, H.; Hagemann, M.

1989-01-01

Many factors can lead to the deformation of foundations and consequently to variations in the state of alignment of a turbine shaft line. Various measurement programmes, measurement procedures and instrumentation have been developed and proven in power plant practice. Experience accumulated hitherto with automatic measurement systems shows that these procedures are superior to conventional methods in respect of accuracy, availability and information content. (orig.) [de

Nursing Practice in Primary Care and Patients' Experience of Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Borgès Da Silva, Roxane; Brault, Isabelle; Pineault, Raynald; Chouinard, Maud-Christine; Prud'homme, Alexandre; D'Amour, Danielle

2018-01-01

Nurses are identified as a key provider in the management of patients in primary care. The objective of this study was to evaluate patients' experience of care in primary care as it pertained to the nursing role. The aim was to test the hypothesis that, in primary health care organizations (PHCOs) where patients are systematically followed by a nurse, and where nursing competencies are therefore optimally used, patients' experience of care is better. Based on a cross-sectional analysis combining organizational and experience of care surveys, we built 2 groups of PHCOs. The first group of PHCOs reported having a nurse who systematically followed patients. The second group had a nurse who performed a variety of activities but did not systematically follow patients. Five indicators of care were constructed based on patient questionnaires. Bivariate and multivariate linear mixed models with random intercepts and with patients nested within were used to analyze the experience of care indicators in both groups. Bivariate analyses revealed a better patient experience of care in PHCOs where a nurse systematically followed patients than in those where a nurse performed other activities. In multivariate analyses that included adjustment variables related to PHCOs and patients, the accessibility indicator was found to be higher. Results indicated that systematic follow-up of patients by nurses improved patients' experience of care in terms of accessibility. Using nurses' scope of practice to its full potential is a promising avenue for enhancing both patients' experience of care and health services efficiency.

A Thematic Inquiry into the Burnout Experience of Australian Solo-Practicing Clinical Psychologists

Science.gov (United States)

Hammond, Trent E.; Crowther, Andrew; Drummond, Sally

2018-01-01

Objective: Burnout is conceptualized as a syndrome that consists of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased personal accomplishment. Despite the increased frequency and severity of burnout in the Western world, there is limited published research regarding the experiences of clinical psychologists who have had burnout. The present study examines clinical psychologists’ different experiences of burnout in Australia. Design and Methods: In the year 2015, six privately practicing and solo-employed clinical psychologists provided rich qualitative data by participating in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was the method used to analyze clinical psychologists’ natural accounts of their burnout experiences. Using NVivo, emerging themes were identified through coding ‘first order constructs’ and then axial code ‘second order constructs.’ Findings: Clinical psychologists indicated that their roles are demanding and a diverse range of symptoms, including the enduring effects of burnout, mental stress, fatigue, decreased personal accomplishment, negative affect, depersonalization, reduced productivity and motivation, and insomnia. They identified precursors of burnout, including excessive workload and hours of work, life stresses, mismanaged workload, and transference. Clinical psychologists suggested that protective factors of burnout include knowledge and years worked in direct care, and trusting and long-term relationships. They indicated that the barriers to overcoming burnout include the fallacy that their clients’ expectations and needs are more important than their own, the financial cost of working in private practice, contemporary knowledge and inadequate education regarding self-care, and time constraints. Discussion and Conclusion: The findings presented in this study provide psychologists and other health professionals with an insight about the burnout experience and inform professionals of the mental shortcomings of

A Thematic Inquiry into the Burnout Experience of Australian Solo-Practicing Clinical Psychologists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trent E. Hammond

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Burnout is conceptualized as a syndrome that consists of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased personal accomplishment. Despite the increased frequency and severity of burnout in the Western world, there is limited published research regarding the experiences of clinical psychologists who have had burnout. The present study examines clinical psychologists’ different experiences of burnout in Australia.Design and Methods: In the year 2015, six privately practicing and solo-employed clinical psychologists provided rich qualitative data by participating in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was the method used to analyze clinical psychologists’ natural accounts of their burnout experiences. Using NVivo, emerging themes were identified through coding ‘first order constructs’ and then axial code ‘second order constructs.’Findings: Clinical psychologists indicated that their roles are demanding and a diverse range of symptoms, including the enduring effects of burnout, mental stress, fatigue, decreased personal accomplishment, negative affect, depersonalization, reduced productivity and motivation, and insomnia. They identified precursors of burnout, including excessive workload and hours of work, life stresses, mismanaged workload, and transference. Clinical psychologists suggested that protective factors of burnout include knowledge and years worked in direct care, and trusting and long-term relationships. They indicated that the barriers to overcoming burnout include the fallacy that their clients’ expectations and needs are more important than their own, the financial cost of working in private practice, contemporary knowledge and inadequate education regarding self-care, and time constraints.Discussion and Conclusion: The findings presented in this study provide psychologists and other health professionals with an insight about the burnout experience and inform professionals of the mental

A Thematic Inquiry into the Burnout Experience of Australian Solo-Practicing Clinical Psychologists.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammond, Trent E; Crowther, Andrew; Drummond, Sally

2017-01-01

Objective: Burnout is conceptualized as a syndrome that consists of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased personal accomplishment. Despite the increased frequency and severity of burnout in the Western world, there is limited published research regarding the experiences of clinical psychologists who have had burnout. The present study examines clinical psychologists' different experiences of burnout in Australia. Design and Methods: In the year 2015, six privately practicing and solo-employed clinical psychologists provided rich qualitative data by participating in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was the method used to analyze clinical psychologists' natural accounts of their burnout experiences. Using NVivo, emerging themes were identified through coding 'first order constructs' and then axial code 'second order constructs.' Findings: Clinical psychologists indicated that their roles are demanding and a diverse range of symptoms, including the enduring effects of burnout, mental stress, fatigue, decreased personal accomplishment, negative affect, depersonalization, reduced productivity and motivation, and insomnia. They identified precursors of burnout, including excessive workload and hours of work, life stresses, mismanaged workload, and transference. Clinical psychologists suggested that protective factors of burnout include knowledge and years worked in direct care, and trusting and long-term relationships. They indicated that the barriers to overcoming burnout include the fallacy that their clients' expectations and needs are more important than their own, the financial cost of working in private practice, contemporary knowledge and inadequate education regarding self-care, and time constraints. Discussion and Conclusion: The findings presented in this study provide psychologists and other health professionals with an insight about the burnout experience and inform professionals of the mental shortcomings of working as a solo-practicing

The Experience of Learning Meditation and Mind/Body Practices in the COPD Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Roxane Raffin; Lehto, Rebecca H

2016-01-01

Persons with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) exhibit high levels of comorbid anxiety that severely worsens their sensation of dyspnea and is associated with high levels of avoidance of essential activities resulting in an increase morbidity and mortality. Increasing meditation and mind/body practices have been shown to decrease anxiety, and improve intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships in general populations, however, results of studies in the COPD population have been mixed. Understanding how persons with COPD experience learning meditation and mind/body skills would aid future meditation-focused mind/body intervention design. A mixed-method study of a community based meditation-focused mind/body intervention for persons with COPD. Reflective journaling, phone exit interviews and survey measures: chronic disease respiratory questionnaire, and Anxiety Sensitivity 3 questionnaire. Eight weekly one hour meditation-focused mind/body classes that taught concentration and insight meditation skills along with mind/body exercises that facilitated increased body and emotional awareness. Out of 41 participants, 32 (73%) contributed detailed experience about learning and practicing meditation and mind/body practices that distilled into four themes, barriers to practice, learning style, emotional processing, and benefits of practice. Of those 32 participants 21 (73%) identified improvement in physical or emotional symptoms. Overall, 13 (40%) participants provided details regarding how they adapted specific meditation skills into daily life to improve emotional function and lessen dyspnea. Anxiety sensitivity to social situations was associated with a lack of participation. Lessons learned for larger scale application to future meditation and mind/body intervention design for chronic illness populations such as COPD are identified. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multilevel participation within on-line collections of local memories as a practice of cultural citizenship : the value of local cultural heritage for societ

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Kreek, M.

2011-01-01

Collecting local memories on-line is a growing practice with participatory elements on different levels. Three levels of participation – micro, meso and macro – are introduced by describing an exemplary case: the Memory of East in Amsterdam. These levels of this particular case can be grounded in

Experiences of using email for general practice consultations: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Atherton, Helen; Pappas, Yannis; Heneghan, Carl; Murray, Elizabeth

2013-11-01

Reports suggest approximately 21-23% of GPs in the UK have consulted with patients using email, but little is known about the nature of this use and what it means for clinicians and patients in general practice. To understand the use of email consultation in general practice by investigating the experiences of existing users and views of experts. A qualitative study conducted in 2010 using purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews in general practice and community settings in some London boroughs. A maximum variation sample of GPs and patients who had used email for consultation in general practice were recruited, as were policy and/or implementation experts. Interviews continued until saturation was achieved. In total 10 GPs, 14 patients, and six experts were interviewed. Consultation by email was often triggered by logistic or practical issues; motivators for ongoing use were the benefits, such as convenience, for GPs and patients. Both GPs and patients reported concerns about safety and lack of guidance about the 'rules of engagement' in email consultations, with GPs also concerned about workload. In response, both groups attempted to introduce their own rules, although this only went some way to addressing uncertainty. Long term, participants felt there was a need for regulation and guidance. Consultations by email in general practice occur in an unregulated and unstructured way. Current UK policy is to promote consultations by email, making it crucial to consider the responsibility and workload faced by clinicians, and the changes required to ensure safe use; not doing so may risk safety breaches and result in suboptimal care for patients.

Long-term agricultural experiments inform the development of climate-smart agricultural practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristina Wolf

2017-09-01

Full Text Available California's Mediterranean agro-ecosystems are a major source of U.S. fruits and vegetables, and vulnerable to future extremes of precipitation and temperature brought on by climate change, including increased drought and flooding, and more intense and longer heat waves. To develop resilience to these threats, strategies are necessary for climate-smart management of soil and water. Long-term, large-scale, replicated ecological experiments provide unique testbeds for studying such questions. At the UC Davis Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility (RRSAF, the 100-year Century Experiment, initiated in 1992, is investigating the effects of multiple farming practices in a farm-scale replicated study of 10 row crop cropping systems. It includes different fertility management systems: organic, conventional and hybrid (conventional plus winter cover crop systems; different crops: wheat, tomatoes, corn, alfalfa, cover crops and grasslands; and different irrigation systems: rainfed, flood irrigated and drip irrigated. We briefly describe and report on a selection of long-term experiments conducted at RRSAF investigating soil management and irrigation practices, which are an important focus for developing climate-smart strategies in Mediterranean systems. For example, long-term monitoring of soil carbon content revealed that most crop systems have experienced a small increase in soil carbon since 1993, and increases in organically managed plots were substantially higher. As RRSAF continues to build upon this rich dataset from one of a very few long-term row crop experiments in Mediterranean ecosystems, it provides a testbed for identifying climate-smart solutions for these agronomically important ecosystems.

Experience and Perception of Sexual Harassment During the Clinical Practice of Korean Nursing Students

OpenAIRE

Lee, Sun-Kyoung; Song, Ju-Eun; Kim, Sue

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the experience and perception of sexual harassment during the clinical practice of Korean nursing students. Methods: The descriptive study was conducted using a self-report questionnaire from December 2009 to January 2010. Participants were 542 nursing students recruited from 12 nursing colleges in Korea, who had finished 1,000 hours of clinical practice which is the minimum requirement for graduation. Data were analyzed by descriptive sta...

Application and Analysis of the Isoelectronic Line Ratio Temperature Diagnostic in a Planar Ablating-Plasma Experiment at the National Ignition Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Epstein, R.; Rosenberg, M. J.; Solodov, A. A.; Myatt, J. F.; Regan, S. P.; Seka, W.; Hohenberger, M.; Barrios, M. A.; Moody, J. D.

2015-11-01

The Mn/Co isoelectronic emission-line ratio from a microdot source in planar CH foil targets was measured to infer the electron temperature (Te) in the ablating plasma during two-plasmon-decay experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). We examine the systematic uncertainty in the Te estimate based on the temperature and density sensitivities of the line ratio in conjunction with plausible density constraints, and its contribution to the total Te estimate uncertainty. The potential advantages of alternative microdot elements (e.g., Ti/Cr and Sc/V) are considered. The microdot mass was selected to provide ample line strength while minimizing the effect of self-absorption on the line emission, which is of particular concern, given the narrow linewidths of mid- Z emitters at subcritical electron densities. Atomic line-formation theory and detailed atomic-radiative simulations show that the straight forward interpretation of the isoelectronic ratio solely in terms of its temperature independence remains valid with lines of moderate optical thickness (up to ~ 10) at line center. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.

Applying new science leadership theory in planning an international nursing student practice experience in Nepal.

Science.gov (United States)

Doyle, Rose Marie

2004-09-01

Planning an international practice experience for nursing students is a challenging, but rewarding, opportunity. Kwantlen University College faculty members' experience of planning for 8 Bachelor of Science in Nursing students to study abroad was no exception. Faculty members' and students' interest prompted a request for a placement in Nepal. The faculty members involved in the planning were dedicated to using a process that would enable them to remain true to the program philosophy and theoretical underpinnings throughout the entire experience, from the planning phase to the follow-up presentation. Using Wheatley's theory, the students and faculty members reexamined their personal leadership styles to ensure they remained relationship focused, rather than task focused. Wheatley maintained that because the potentiality lies in building strong relationships, it is important to support the creative power that lies in those involved in a project. This article describes new science leadership and relates it to the planning phase for the practice experience in Nepal. Then, reflections on how the philosophy of the program may have influenced the experience are shared. Finally, critical reflection on using this theory in nursing education is presented.

Creating an Excellent Patient Experience Through Service Education: Content and Methods for Engaging and Motivating Front-Line Staff.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Denise M

2017-12-01

Service quality and patient satisfaction affect an organization's value-based payments. This new value paradigm calls for a new approach to service education and training for front-line staff. Thoughtfully conceived, department-specific content, infused with patient feedback, value creation, and science of service quality principles, was developed to give front-line staff a deeper understanding of the impact of their performance on patient experience, value creation, and value-based revenue. Feedback from nearly 1500 trainees in 60 educational sessions delivered over 7 years indicates good understanding of the content and appreciation of the targeted approach. On a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (least effective) to 5 (most effective), trainees' ratings of their understanding of service quality concepts and impact on value ranged from 4.7 to 4.9. Verbatim comments showed a positive impact on staff. Employee feedback suggests that value-based service education may be useful in motivating front-line staff, improving service quality, and creating value.

Pollutants in soil. An introduction to their analysis and evaluation, with practical experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewandowski, J.; Leitschuh, S.; Koss, V.

1997-01-01

The book goes into soil pollutant mobility and analysis and into the interpretation of measured data. The authors took pains to present their subject in an easy-to-read manner. Practical exercises at the end of each chapter help the student to check up on his knowledge. In view of the Universities' current trend towards a more practice-oriented education, the detailed theoretical section is supplemented by a variety of experiments. The book addresses students of chemistry, geosciences, biology, engineering sciences etc. who are interested in environmental science. (orig.). 120 figs [de

Plasma line observations in the auroral oval

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valladares, C.E.; Kelley, M.C.; Vickrey, J.F.

1988-01-01

We report here a series of experiments conducted at the Sondre Stromfjord incoherent scatter radar, aimed at detected enhanced plasma lines associated with midnight sector auroral arcs. Using different receivers, we detected both ion and plasma lines simultaneously. The plasma line signal was recorded with the use of a filter bank of eight frequencies. Plasma lines were found to originate mainly from the topside of the particle-produced E layer. The enhanced plasma lines are sometimes a factor of 100 times larger than the thermal level. Our data show a rapid decay of the plasma lines, however. In some cases, only a 30-s integration time was needed in order to unambiguously detect both upshifted and downshifted lines. The level of the plasma lines reaches values of, for the larger cases, up to 40 0 K above the noise temperature. These are considerably higher than results from prior auroral zone plasma line experiments. In situ observations of enhanced plasma waves in this same region are reported in a companion paper. copyright American Geophysical Union 1988

Berkeley Off-line Radioisotope Generator (BORG)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sudowe, Ralf; Patin, Joshua B.

2001-01-01

Development of chemical separations for the transactinides has traditionally been performed with longer-lived tracer activities purchased commercially. With these long-lived tracers, there is always the potential problem that the tracer atoms are not always in the same chemical form as the short-lived atoms produced in on-line experiments. This problem is especially severe for elements in groups 4 and 5 of the periodic table, where hydrolysis is present. The long-lived tracers usually are stored with a complexing agent to prevent sorption or precipitation. Chemistry experiments performed with these long-lived tracers are therefore not analogous to those chemical experiments performed in on-line experiments. One way to eliminate the differences between off-line and on-line chemistry experiments is through the use of a 252 Cf fission fragment collection device. A 252 Cf fission fragment collection device has already been constructed [1]. This device is limited in its capabilities. A new fission fragment device would allow the study of the chemical properties of the homologues of the heaviest elements. This new device would be capable of producing fission fragments for fast gas chemistry and aqueous chemistry experiments, long-lived tracers for model system development and neutrons for neutron activation. Fission fragment activities produced in this way should have the same chemical form as those produced in Cyclotron irradiations. The simple operation of this source will allow more rapid and reliable development of radiochemical separations with homologues of transactinide elements

Potential health gains for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma in daily clinical practice: A real-world cost-effectiveness analysis of sequential first- and second-line treatments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S De Groot

Full Text Available Randomised controlled trials have shown that targeted therapies like sunitinib are effective in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC. Little is known about the current use of these therapies, and their associated costs and effects in daily clinical practice. We estimated the real-world cost-effectiveness of different treatment strategies comprising one or more sequentially administered drugs.Analyses were performed using patient-level data from a Dutch population-based registry including patients diagnosed with primary mRCC from January 2008 to December 2010 (i.e., treated between 2008 and 2013. The full disease course of these patients was estimated using a patient-level simulation model based on regression analyses of the registry data. A healthcare sector perspective was adopted; total costs included healthcare costs related to mRCC. Cost-effectiveness was expressed in cost per life-year and cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY gained. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was conducted to estimate the overall uncertainty surrounding cost-effectiveness.In current daily practice, 54% (336/621 of all patients was treated with targeted therapies. Most patients (84%; 282/336 received sunitinib as first-line therapy. Of the patients receiving first-line therapy, 30% (101/336 also received second-line therapy; the majority was treated with everolimus (40%, 40/101 or sorafenib (28%, 28/101. Current treatment practice (including patients not receiving targeted therapy led to 0.807 QALYs; mean costs were €58,912. This resulted in an additional €105,011 per QALY gained compared to not using targeted therapy at all. Forty-six percent of all patients received no targeted therapy; of these patients, 24% (69/285 was eligible for sunitinib. If these patients were treated with first-line sunitinib, mean QALYs would improve by 0.062-0.076 (where the range reflects the choice of second-line therapy. This improvement is completely driven by the health

The Effects of Active Videogame Feedback and Practicing Experience on Children's Physical Activity Intensity and Enjoyment.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Han; Sun, Haichun

2017-08-01

The study aims to explore the effects of receiving active videogame (AVG) feedback and playing experience on individuals' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and perceived enjoyment. This was a within-subject design study. The participants included 36 (n = 15 and 21 for boys and girls, respectively) fourth graders enrolled in a rural elementary school in southern Georgia area. The experiment lasted for 6 weeks with each week including three sessions. The participants were assigned in either front row (sensor feedback) or back row (no sensor feedback) during practice, which was alternated in different sessions. Two different dance games were played during the study with each game implemented for 3 weeks. The MVPA was measured with GT3X+ accelerometers. Physical activity (PA) enjoyment was assessed after the completion of the first two and last two sessions of each game. A repeated one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) was used to examine the effects of AVG feedback and game on MVPA. A repeated one-way MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) was conducted for each game to examine the effects of experience and AVG feedback on enjoyment and MVPA. No effects of AVG feedback were found for MVPA or enjoyment (P > 0.05). The effects of experience on MVPA were found for Just Dance Kids 2014 with experience decreased MVPA (P < 0.05). Students who practiced dance AVG without receiving feedback still demonstrated positive affection and accumulated similar MVPA than when practicing while receiving feedback. Experience for certain dance games tends to decrease PA intensity.

Beam line for Schools: beyond expectations

CERN Multimedia

Cian O'Luanaigh

2014-01-01

Out of 292 proposals for CERN's first ever "Beam line for Schools" contest, two teams of high-school students – Odysseus' Comrades from Varvakios Pilot School in Athens, Greece and Dominicuscollege from Dominicus College in Nijmegen in the Netherlands – were selected to spend 10 days conducting their proposed experiments at the fully equipped T9 beam line on CERN's Meyrin site. Dedicated CERN staff and users from across the departments have put in a huge effort to ensure the success of the project.   Detector physicist Cenk Yidriz (centre, white helmet) explains the setup of the "Beamline for schools" experiment at the T9 beamline. It's finally beam time. After months of organisation, coding, engineering and even painting the experimental area, the T9 beam line is ready to deliver protons to experiments devised and built by high-school students. “They are here to collect data and experience the l...

The Mapping of On-Line Learning to Flipped Classroom: Small Private Online Course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muqiang Zheng

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This study uses an integrated pedagogical tool for knowledge learning as an on-line tool for flipped classroom activities and as an off-line capability training tool. Theoretically, the Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC plays a critical role in promoting students learning effectiveness and performance. However, a dearth of research has applied M-learning and flipped classroom in combination with the ELC stages such as concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation to examine the knowledge and ability learning outcomes for students. This study integrates the On line to Off line (O2O classroom development and usage derived from the four stages of ELC based on on-line knowledge learning and off-line ability training in Microeconomics courses. The results revealed significant improvements in students learning outcomes after O2O mode was implemented. In comparison with traditional teaching methods, not only does O2O teaching significantly improve the students’ learning result of professional knowledge, but O2O teaching also significantly enhanced the capabilities of the students. Furthermore, this study reports the findings from major activities of each ELC stage in O2O classroom practice along with the mapping of on-line learning and off-line training included in the aforementioned stages. Finally, the study provides pedagogical implications and future research directions.

Finding a path through the health unit: practical experience of Ugandan patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Mogensen, Hanne O

2005-01-01

Finding one's way through a health facility is not necessarily an easy task for Ugandan patients. Our understanding of how people succeed in doing so, and of the obstacles they encounter on their way, is incomplete if we focus only on the cognitive level of the clinical encounter. Much research in public health and medical anthropology implicitly works with the notion that agency is located in the mind and that cognitive understanding is a precondition for practice. Based on material from eastern Uganda, this article explores the practical experience of Ugandan patients and their relatives and reflects upon the ways in which this notion of agency has often caused us to confuse the spectator's point of view with the actor's point of view. Thus, as Pierre Bourdieu has argued, we are made to look for answers to "questions that practice never asks because it has no need to ask them."

Effects of the learning assistant experience on in-service teachers' practices

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, Kara E.; Webb, David C.; Otero, Valerie K.

2012-02-01

The Colorado Learning Assistant (LA) Program serves as a content-specific supplement to standard teacher preparation programs. In addition to transforming undergraduate STEM courses, it recruits and prepares math and science majors for teaching careers by involving university STEM faculty. The research reported here compares the teaching practices of in-service teachers who participated in the LA experience as undergraduates to a comparison group of teachers who did not participate in the LA program as undergraduates but were certified to teach through the same program. We report on teachers' views of assessments and differences in their teaching practices. This analysis is based on interviews with approximately 30 teachers and observations of their classrooms throughout their induction years of teaching. This work considers how the LA program may help improve current teacher preparation models.

Hockey lines for simulation-based learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Topps, David; Ellaway, Rachel; Kupsh, Christine

2015-06-01

Simulation-based health professional education is often limited in accommodating large numbers of students. Most organisations do not have enough simulation suites or staff to support growing demands. We needed to find ways to make simulation sessions more accommodating for larger groups of learners, so that more than a few individuals could be active in a simulation scenario at any one time. Moreover, we needed to make the experience meaningful for all participating learners. We used the metaphor of (ice) hockey lines and substitution 'on the fly' to effectively double the numbers of learners that can be actively engaged at once. Team players must communicate clearly, and observe keenly, so that currently playing members understand what is happening from moment to moment and incoming substitutes can take over their roles seamlessly. Most organisations do not have enough simulation suites or staff to support growing demands We found that this hockey lines approach to simulation-based team scenarios will raise learners' levels of engagement, reinforce good crew resource management (CRM) practices, enhance closed-loop communication, and help learners to understand their cognitive biases and limitations when working in high-pressure situations. During our continuing refinement of the hockey-lines approach, we developed a number of variations on the basic activity model, with various benefits and applications. Both students and teachers have been enthusiastically positive about this approach when it was introduced at our various courses and participating institutions. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Parents’ experiences of child protection practice in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Stina Krogh

2018-01-01

Not much research focuses on how parents perceive and experience child protection practice although the voices of service users are important in the development of social work within Child Welfare Services. This article contributes to a growing body of research that takes the user perspective...... as its point of departure when conducting research in social work. Drawing on a qualitative study, this article explores how 17 parents have experienced assessment processes in Denmark. Several studies indicate that parents who by themselves initiate child protection assessment have a greater chance...... (referral or the parents' own initiative) and suggests that time (in the sense of progression in the assessment) is an important dimension to take into account particularly when it comes to parents who wish to engage in child protection assessments....

Implementing a multifaceted intervention to decrease central line-associated bloodstream infections in SEHA (Abu Dhabi Health Services Company) intensive care units: the Abu Dhabi experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Latif, Asad; Kelly, Bernadette; Edrees, Hanan; Kent, Paula S; Weaver, Sallie J; Jovanovic, Branislava; Attallah, Hadeel; de Grouchy, Kristin K; Al-Obaidli, Ali; Goeschel, Christine A; Berenholtz, Sean M

2015-07-01

OBJECTIVE To determine whether implementation of a multifaceted intervention would significantly reduce the incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections. DESIGN Prospective cohort collaborative. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Intensive care units of the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company hospitals in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. INTERVENTIONS A bundled intervention consisting of 3 components was implemented as part of the program. It consisted of a multifaceted approach that targeted clinician use of evidence-based infection prevention recommendations, tools that supported the identification of local barriers to these practices, and implementation ideas to help ensure patients received the practices. Comprehensive unit-based safety teams were created to improve safety culture and teamwork. Finally, the measurement and feedback of monthly infection rate data to safety teams, senior leaders, and staff in participating intensive care units was encouraged. The main outcome measure was the quarterly rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections. RESULTS Eighteen intensive care units from 7 hospitals in Abu Dhabi implemented the program and achieved an overall 38% reduction in their central line-associated bloodstream infection rate, adjusted at the hospital and unit level. The number of units with a quarterly central line-associated bloodstream infection rate of less than 1 infection per 1,000 catheter-days increased by almost 40% between the baseline and postintervention periods. CONCLUSION A significant reduction in the global morbidity and mortality associated with central line-associated bloodstream infections is possible across intensive care units in disparate settings using a multifaceted intervention.

Incorrect results in software engineering experiments: How to improve research practices

OpenAIRE

Jørgensen, Magne; Dybå, Tore; Liestøl, Knut; Sjøberg, Dag

2016-01-01

Context The trustworthiness of research results is a growing concern in many empirical disciplines. Aim The goals of this paper are to assess how much the trustworthiness of results reported in software engineering experiments is affected by researcher and publication bias, given typical statistical power and significance levels, and to suggest improved research practices. Method First, we conducted a small-scale survey to document the presence of researcher and publication biases in software...

Developing Structured-Learning Exercises for a Community Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience

OpenAIRE

Thomas, Renee Ahrens

2006-01-01

The recent growth in the number of pharmacy schools across the nation has resulted in the need for high-quality community advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) sites. A vital part of a student's education, these APPEs should be structured and formalized to provide an environment conducive to student learning. This paper discusses how to use a calendar, structured-learning activities, and scheduled evaluations to develop students' knowledge, skills, and abilities in a community pharmacy...

Developing structured-learning exercises for a community advanced pharmacy practice experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Renee Ahrens

2006-02-15

The recent growth in the number of pharmacy schools across the nation has resulted in the need for high-quality community advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) sites. A vital part of a student's education, these APPEs should be structured and formalized to provide an environment conducive to student learning. This paper discusses how to use a calendar, structured-learning activities, and scheduled evaluations to develop students' knowledge, skills, and abilities in a community pharmacy setting.

Practical experience with the leaky-fuel monitoring at Bohunice NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kacmar, M.; Cizek, J.

2001-01-01

The first part of this paper describes practical experience with the fuel monitoring in operating reactors from point of view possible leakages. Summarized in the paper are numbers leaky fuel assemblies both for NPP and for particular units. Some failure causes are discussed for operational conditions of Bohunice NPP. In the second part of paper critical power ramps on hot fuel rod of leaky fuel assemblies are analysed to eliminate failures from PCI. The main aim of the paper is the need to understand the mechanism and causes of failures (Authors)

Exchanging knowledge within a community of practice: toward an epistemology of practice in Occupational Therapy paediatric hospital care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Maria Galheigo

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: This research proposed the creation of a community of practice (CoP with the objective of: (i analysing the feasibility of a CoP as a means of generating knowledge among occupational therapists and (ii investigating the practice of occupational therapy with hospitalized children and adolescents. This article privileges the results of one of the predominantly discussed themes - the use of assessments and strategies of evaluation in Occupational Therapy in the hospital context. Method: A participatory action research study was undertaken with nine occupational therapists in face-to-face meetings combined with virtual tasks on an on-line platform. A hermeneutic and dialectical method was used to interpret the results. Results: The CoP produced practical knowledge about the use of assessments with hospitalized children and adolescents and demonstrated to be a strategy of knowledge development through dialogue and collaborative reflection on practice. Conclusion: Research on the implementation of communities of practice offers a promising approach to the production of knowledge in occupational therapy. The generated knowledge is representative of occupational therapists’ experiences and demonstrates an example of an epistemology of practice.

Focus on the Finish Line: Does High-Impact Practice Participation Influence Career Plans and Early Job Attainment?

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Angie L.; Rocconi, Louis M.; Dumford, Amber D.

2018-01-01

High-impact practices (HIPs) are important co-curricular educational experiences in post-secondary education, as they promote learning, development, and persistence among students. The goal of this study was to extend the research on HIPs to explore potential connections with HIP participation and career outcomes. Using data from the National…

Toward a high-performance management system in health care, part 4: Using high-performance work practices to prevent central line-associated blood stream infections-a comparative case study.

Science.gov (United States)

McAlearney, Ann Scheck; Hefner, Jennifer; Robbins, Julie; Garman, Andrew N

2016-01-01

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are among the most harmful health care-associated infections and a major patient safety concern. Nationally, CLABSI rates have been reduced through the implementation of evidence-based interventions; thus far, however, hospitals still differ substantially in their success implementing these practices. Prior research on high-performance work practices (HPWPs) suggests that these practices may explain some of the differences health systems experience in the success of their quality improvement efforts; however, these relationships have not yet been systematically investigated. In this study, we sought to explore the potential role HPWPs may play in explaining differences in the success of CLABSI reduction efforts involving otherwise similar organizations and approaches. To form our sample, we identified eight hospitals participating in the federally funded "On the CUSP: Stop BSI" initiative. This sample included four hospital "pairs" matched on organizational characteristics (e.g., state, size, teaching status) but having reported contrasting CLABSI reduction outcomes. We collected data through site visits as well as 194 key informant interviews, which were framed using an evidence-informed model of health care HPWPs. We found evidence that, at higher performing sites, HPWPs facilitated the adoption and consistent application of practices known to prevent CLABSIs; these HPWPs were virtually absent at lower performing sites. We present examples of management practices and illustrative quotes categorized into four HPWP subsystems: (a) staff engagement, (b) staff acquisition/development, (c) frontline empowerment, and (d) leadership alignment/development. We present the HPWP model as an organizing framework that can be applied to facilitate quality and patient safety efforts in health care. Managers and senior leaders can use these four HPWP subsystems to select, prioritize, and communicate about management

Natural gas large volumes measurement: going for on-line custody transfer; Medicao de grandes volumes de gas natural: rumo a transferencia de custodia on-line

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mercon, Eduardo G.; Frisoli, Caetano [PETROBRAS Transporte S.A. (TRANSPETRO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2005-07-01

This paper describes the structure of the natural gas flow measurement process in TRANSPETRO, and comments features and performance of existing or under-implantation equipment and systems, reviewing best practices and technology in use. This process runs through three interrelated segments: data flow measurement, strictly speaking; data transfer and acquisition; and data flow measurement certification (data consolidation to invoice). Initially, the work makes an approach to the data flow measurement segment, evaluating technical features of flow meters, and describing configurations and functions of the operating gas flow computers in TRANSPETRO's custody transfer stations. In this part it will also be presented the implantation of TRANSPETRO's system for gas chromatography data input on-line to flow computers. Further, in data transfer and acquisition, SCADA system technical aspects will be evaluated, considering communications protocols and programmable logic controllers functions in remote terminal units, and discussing their places in the measurement process. Additionally, TRANSPETRO's experience in data measurement certification tools is in discussion, as well as new upcoming tools and their potential features, from what new practices will be suggested. Finally, all the work has been conceived and carried out always aiming to the state-of-the-art technology in gas flow measurement: on-line custody transfer. (author)

Practical strategies and perceptions from community pharmacists following their experiences with conducting pharmacy practice research: a qualitative content analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

De Vera, Mary A; Campbell, Natasha K J; Chhina, Harpreet; Galo, Jessica S; Marra, Carlo

2017-10-26

While prior research identified barriers to conducting research in community pharmacies, there remains a need to better understand facilitators to ensure successful collaborations between academic researchers and pharmacists. Our objective was to determine the experiences and perspectives of community pharmacists who have recently conducted a pharmacy practice-based research study to gain in-depth understanding of challenges as well as facilitators and identify strategies and solutions. We conducted a qualitative study involving one-on-one semi-structured telephone interviews with community pharmacists following the completion of a practice-based research study in their pharmacies. Interview transcripts were analysed using inductive content analysis involving open coding, creating categories and abstraction into final themes. Eleven pharmacists participated in the qualitative interviews. We identified six major themes including: (1) barriers (e.g. time constraints); (2) facilitators (e.g. ideal pharmacy layout); (3) support and resources from academic researchers (e.g. helpfulness of training, easy-to-use study materials); (4) pharmacist-initiated strategies for conducting research (beyond prior suggestions from researchers); (5) suggestions for future pharmacy practice research; and (6) motivation for conducting pharmacy practice research. These findings informed practical strategies targeted at academic researchers and pharmacists, respectively, to facilitate the conduct of research in community pharmacists across various stages of the research process. Our study adds to better understanding of community pharmacists' perspectives on conducting research and identifies practical solutions that can be readily implemented by academic researchers and pharmacists participating in research. © 2017 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Organization of the M-6000 computer calculating process in the CAMAC on-line measurement systems for a physical experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bespalova, T.V.; Volkov, A.S.; Golutvin, I.A.; Maslov, V.V.; Nevskaya, N.A.; Okonishnikov, A.A.; Terekhov, V.E.; Shilkin, I.P.

1977-01-01

Discussed are the basic results of the work on designing the software of the computer measuring complex (CMC) which uses the M-6000 computer and operates on line with an accelerator. All the CMC units comply with the CAMAC standard. The CMC incorporates a mainframe memory, twenty-four kilobytes of 16-digit words in size, and external memory on magnetic disks, 1 megabyte in size. Suggested is a modification of the technique for designing the CMC software providing for program complexes which are dynamically adjusted by an experimentalist for the given experiment for a short time. The CMC software comprises the following major portions: a software generator, data acquisition program, on-line data processing routines, off-line data processing programs and programs for data recording on magnetic tapes and disks. Testing of the designed CMC has revealed that the total data processing time equals to from 150 to 500 ms

Home food preparation practices, experiences and perceptions: A qualitative interview study with photo-elicitation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanna Mills

Full Text Available Food-related choices have an important impact on health. Food preparation methods may be linked to diet and health benefits. However, the factors influencing people's food choices, and how they are shaped by food preparation experiences, are still not fully understood. We aimed to study home food preparation practices, experiences and perceptions amongst adults in North East England. A matrix was used to purposively sample participants with diverse socio-demographic characteristics. Participants developed photographic food diaries that were used as prompts during semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using the Framework Method. Interviews were conducted with 18 adults (five men and 13 women, aged approximately 20 to 80 years, to reach data saturation. Participants' practices varied widely, from reliance on pre-prepared foods, to preparing complex meals entirely from basic ingredients. Key themes emerged regarding the cook (identity, the task (process of cooking, and the context (situational drivers. Resources, in terms of time, money and facilities, were also underpinning influences on food preparation. Participants' practices were determined by both personal motivations to cook, and the influence of others, and generally reflected compromises between varied competing demands and challenges in life. Most people appeared to be overall content with their food preparation behaviour, though ideally aspired to cook more frequently, using basic ingredients. This often seemed to be driven by social desirability. Home food preparation is complex, with heterogeneous practices, experiences and perceptions both between individuals and within the same individual over time, according to shifting priorities and circumstances. Generalisability of these findings may be limited by the regional participant sample; however the results support and build upon previous research. Focussing interventions on life transition points at which priorities and

Home food preparation practices, experiences and perceptions: A qualitative interview study with photo-elicitation

Science.gov (United States)

White, Martin; Wrieden, Wendy; Brown, Heather; Stead, Martine; Adams, Jean

2017-01-01

Food-related choices have an important impact on health. Food preparation methods may be linked to diet and health benefits. However, the factors influencing people’s food choices, and how they are shaped by food preparation experiences, are still not fully understood. We aimed to study home food preparation practices, experiences and perceptions amongst adults in North East England. A matrix was used to purposively sample participants with diverse socio-demographic characteristics. Participants developed photographic food diaries that were used as prompts during semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using the Framework Method. Interviews were conducted with 18 adults (five men and 13 women), aged approximately 20 to 80 years, to reach data saturation. Participants’ practices varied widely, from reliance on pre-prepared foods, to preparing complex meals entirely from basic ingredients. Key themes emerged regarding the cook (identity), the task (process of cooking), and the context (situational drivers). Resources, in terms of time, money and facilities, were also underpinning influences on food preparation. Participants’ practices were determined by both personal motivations to cook, and the influence of others, and generally reflected compromises between varied competing demands and challenges in life. Most people appeared to be overall content with their food preparation behaviour, though ideally aspired to cook more frequently, using basic ingredients. This often seemed to be driven by social desirability. Home food preparation is complex, with heterogeneous practices, experiences and perceptions both between individuals and within the same individual over time, according to shifting priorities and circumstances. Generalisability of these findings may be limited by the regional participant sample; however the results support and build upon previous research. Focussing interventions on life transition points at which priorities and circumstances

Home food preparation practices, experiences and perceptions: A qualitative interview study with photo-elicitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, Susanna; White, Martin; Wrieden, Wendy; Brown, Heather; Stead, Martine; Adams, Jean

2017-01-01

Food-related choices have an important impact on health. Food preparation methods may be linked to diet and health benefits. However, the factors influencing people's food choices, and how they are shaped by food preparation experiences, are still not fully understood. We aimed to study home food preparation practices, experiences and perceptions amongst adults in North East England. A matrix was used to purposively sample participants with diverse socio-demographic characteristics. Participants developed photographic food diaries that were used as prompts during semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using the Framework Method. Interviews were conducted with 18 adults (five men and 13 women), aged approximately 20 to 80 years, to reach data saturation. Participants' practices varied widely, from reliance on pre-prepared foods, to preparing complex meals entirely from basic ingredients. Key themes emerged regarding the cook (identity), the task (process of cooking), and the context (situational drivers). Resources, in terms of time, money and facilities, were also underpinning influences on food preparation. Participants' practices were determined by both personal motivations to cook, and the influence of others, and generally reflected compromises between varied competing demands and challenges in life. Most people appeared to be overall content with their food preparation behaviour, though ideally aspired to cook more frequently, using basic ingredients. This often seemed to be driven by social desirability. Home food preparation is complex, with heterogeneous practices, experiences and perceptions both between individuals and within the same individual over time, according to shifting priorities and circumstances. Generalisability of these findings may be limited by the regional participant sample; however the results support and build upon previous research. Focussing interventions on life transition points at which priorities and circumstances change

'Chasing the numbers': Australian Bachelor of Midwifery students' experiences of achieving midwifery practice requirements for registration.

Science.gov (United States)

Licqurish, Sharon; Seibold, Camel

2013-06-01

to explore one aspect of the findings from a qualitative study exploring Australian Bachelor of Midwifery students' experiences of achieving competency for beginning practice. a qualitative study using grounded theory, incorporating situational analysis. Data were collected by interviews, field observation and students' documents. one university in Victoria, Australia, which was a member of a consortium of universities that first implemented Bachelor of Midwifery curricula. 19 women, aged 20-40 years, completing the Bachelor of Midwifery course between the years 2005 and 2008. data analysis revealed an overarching social process of assimilation, and three related subprocesses namely realisation, adaptation and consolidation. This paper focuses on consolidation in terms of competency achievement in relation to set requirements. while generally found competent for beginning practice, the Bachelor of Midwifery students in this study felt that their ability to achieve competency according to professional midwifery standards, was constrained by the restricted nature of midwifery practice and medical dominance in the hospitals where they were placed. Furthermore, they found it challenging to achieve the minimum midwifery experience requirements, as well as their own personal learning objectives, within the clinical practicum hours provided in the curriculum. a review of the clinical hours provided by Bachelor of Midwifery curricula is required, with a view to ensure that clinical hours are consistent with recommended hours suggested by Australian Bachelor of Midwifery course accreditation standards. Universities implementing midwifery curricula in Australia need to be cognisant of the theory-practice gap and therefore the applicability of professional competency standards to the education of midwives. The concerns about the reliability of competency standards need to be addressed. Finally, further research is required to validate the current number of, minimum practice

Computerisation of general practice in the Republic of Croatia: experience gained in general practice use

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Biserka Bergman-Markovi_

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Well-organised medical records are the prerequisite for achieving a high level of performance in primary healthcare settings. Recording balanced structured and coded data as well as free text can improve both quality and organisation of work in the office. It provides a more substantiated support of financial transactions and accountancy, allows better communication with other facilities and institutions, and is a source of valuable scientific research material. This article is the result of an individual experience gained in general practice use of various programs/ systems employed within the family medicine frame, and the frame of evaluation of available and commonly- exploited program solutions. The use of various programs allows for systematic adjustments as to the increasingly complex requirements imposed on electronic medical records (EMRs. The experience of a general practitioner, presented in this paper, confirms the assumption that an adequate program to be employed with EMRs should be developed, provided that family medicine practitioners, that is, the final users, have been involved in each and every stage of its development, adjustment, implementation and evaluation.

Home food preparation practices, experiences and perceptions: A qualitative interview study with photo-elicitation

OpenAIRE

Mills, Susanna; White, Martin; Wrieden, Wendy; Brown, Heather; Stead, Martine; Adams, Jean

2017-01-01

Food-related choices have an important impact on health. Food preparation methods may be linked to diet and health benefits. However, the factors influencing people's food choices, and how they are shaped by food preparation experiences, are still not fully understood. We aimed to study home food preparation practices, experiences and perceptions amongst adults in North East England. A matrix was used to purposively sample participants with diverse socio-demographic characteristics. Participa...

Web-based multimedia vignettes in advanced community pharmacy practice experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Flowers, Schwanda K; Vanderbush, Ross E; Hastings, Jan K; West, Donna

2010-04-12

To evaluate the effectiveness of Web-based multimedia vignettes on complex drug administration techniques to augment the training of pharmacy students in advanced community pharmacy practice experiences. During the orientation for a community APPE, students were randomly assigned to either a study group or control group After they began their APPE, students in the study group were given an Internet address to access multimedia vignettes which they were required to watch to augment their training and standardize their counseling of patients in the use of inhalers and ear and eye drops. A 12-item questionnaire was administered to students in both groups at the orientation and again on the last day of the APPE to evaluate their knowledge of counseling patients in the use of inhalers and ear and eye drops. The control group did not experience any improvement in their counseling knowledge of the research topics during their month-long experience. Students in the intervention group scored higher on their postintervention test than students in the control group (p < 0.001). Student learning outcomes from experiential training can be improved through the use of Web-based multimedia instructional vignettes.

Standing genetic variation as a major contributor to adaptation in the Virginia chicken lines selection experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, Zheya; Pettersson, Mats E; Honaker, Christa F; Siegel, Paul B; Carlborg, Örjan

2015-10-01

Artificial selection provides a powerful approach to study the genetics of adaptation. Using selective-sweep mapping, it is possible to identify genomic regions where allele-frequencies have diverged during selection. To avoid false positive signatures of selection, it is necessary to show that a sweep affects a selected trait before it can be considered adaptive. Here, we confirm candidate, genome-wide distributed selective sweeps originating from the standing genetic variation in a long-term selection experiment on high and low body weight of chickens. Using an intercross between the two divergent chicken lines, 16 adaptive selective sweeps were confirmed based on their association with the body weight at 56 days of age. Although individual additive effects were small, the fixation for alternative alleles across the loci contributed at least 40 % of the phenotypic difference for the selected trait between these lines. The sweeps contributed about half of the additive genetic variance present within and between the lines after 40 generations of selection, corresponding to a considerable portion of the additive genetic variance of the base population. Long-term, single-trait, bi-directional selection in the Virginia chicken lines has resulted in a gradual response to selection for extreme phenotypes without a drastic reduction in the genetic variation. We find that fixation of several standing genetic variants across a highly polygenic genetic architecture made a considerable contribution to long-term selection response. This provides new fundamental insights into the dynamics of standing genetic variation during long-term selection and adaptation.

Magnetic field line Hamiltonian

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boozer, A.H.

1984-03-01

The magnetic field line Hamiltonian and the associated canonical form for the magnetic field are important concepts both for understanding toroidal plasma physics and for practical calculations. A number of important properties of the canonical or Hamiltonian representation are derived and their importance is explained

A new technique for on-line and off-line high speed computation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartouni, E.P.; Jensen, D.A.; Klima, B.; Kreisler, M.N.; Rabin, M.S.Z.; Uribe, J.; Gottschalk, E.; Gara, A.; Knapp, B.C.

1989-01-01

A new technique for both on-line and off-line computation has been developed. With this technique, a reconstruction analysis in Elementary Particle Physics, otherwise prohibitively long, has been accomplished. It will be used on-line in an upcoming Fermilab experiment to reconstruct more than 100,000 events per second and to trigger on the basis of that information. The technique delivers 40 Giga operations per second, has a bandwidth on the order of Gigabytes per second and has a modest cost. An overview of the program, details of the system, and performance measurements are presented in this paper

The Influence of Professional Identity on Teaching Practice: Experiences of Four Music Educators

Science.gov (United States)

Carrillo, Carmen; Baguley, Margaret; Vilar, Mercè

2015-01-01

This study explores the influence of professional identity on the teaching practice of four school music educators, two from Spain and two from Australia. Narrative inquiry methodology was utilized in order to investigate the full spectrum of their musical experiences, ranging from their earliest childhood memories to their current positions in…

Curriculum renewal: Alignment of introductory pharmacy practice experiences with didactic course content.

Science.gov (United States)

Nuffer, Wesley; Botts, Sheila; Franson, Kari; Gilliam, Eric; Knutsen, Randy; Nuffer, Monika; O'Brien, Elizabeth; Saseen, Joseph; Thompson, Megan; Vande Griend, Joseph; Willis, Robert

2017-11-01

The University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) used the opportunity of curriculum renewal to integrate knowledge and skills learned from didactic courses into the introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) occurring simultaneously. This paper describes and evaluates the meaningful application of course content into IPPEs, and evaluates the success using qualitative feedback. Students entering the renewed curriculum starting in fall 2012 were provided a list of pharmacy skills and activities from didactic course directors that reinforced course content for that semester. The skills and activities were to be completed during the students' IPPE visits in the community or health systems settings, depending on the program year and semester. Students successfully completed course assignments during their IPPE course program. Not all activities could be completed as designed, and many required modification, including simulated experiences. Feedback from faculty and preceptor members of the school's experiential education committee demonstrated that these activities were valuable and improved learning of course material, but were challenging to implement. A renewed curriculum that mapped course assignments for completion in experiential settings was successfully established, after some modifications. The program was modified at regular intervals to improve the ability of preceptors to complete these activities in their individual practice environment. A balance between the school providing guidance on what activities students should perform and allowing unstructured independent learning with the preceptor is needed for an optimal experience. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Promoting Media Literacy’ as Practicing “Media Reform”: Reflecting on Personal Experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui-Ju Tsai

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This paper assesses conceptions and practices in critical media literacy. In particular, it focuses on teaching experience and the processes which combine the educator’s reflection of theories of the ‘public sphere’, ‘media literacy’, and ‘communication civil rights’. The paper is divided into three main parts. The first of four sections will briefly cover the history of media reform and the relationship between the media reform movement and critical media literacy lessons in community colleges. It will connect this to the idea of ‘turn to the public’. The meaning and position of ‘media literacy’ in the broad media reform movement will also be analyzed. Following this, in the second section, conceptualizations of the ‘public sphere’, ‘public pedagogy’, and ‘critical media literacy pedagogy’ will be developed. Finally, three stages of the lesson design and practical interactions will be examined dialectically. In particular, the community college field research on my teaching experience will be described in the third section, and the suggestions, reflections and conclusions from the research will be examined in the last section.

Inter-experiment variation and dependence on culture conditions in assaying the chemosensitivity of human small cell lung cancer cell lines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roed, H; Christensen, I B; Vindeløv, L L

1987-01-01

by a logarithmic function. Even after correction for lack of proportionality the two assay systems provided significantly different dose-response curves. The stability of the chemosensitivity was tested after 25-30 weeks continuous in vitro culture or prolonged storage in liquid nitrogen. One cell line underwent...... significant changes after continuous in vitro culture whereas the cell lines tested after prolonged storage in liquid nitrogen showed only minor changes. It is concluded that instead of considering the concentration necessary to achieve a certain degree of cell kill (e.g. ID50) in one experiment on one cell...

Past Experiences, Present Beliefs, Future Practices: Using Narratives to Re(present) Leadership Educator Identity

Science.gov (United States)

Priest, Kerry L.; Seemiller, Corey

2018-01-01

In an effort to better understand leadership educator preparation, this qualitative study explores leadership educators' identity constructions, or (re)presentations of experiences, beliefs, and practices that contribute to one's professional identity. We used three narrative approaches (storytelling, symbolic interactionism, and anticipatory…

Simultaneous neutron and x-ray imaging of inertial confinement fusion experiments along a single line of sight at Omega

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Danly, C. R.; Day, T. H.; Herrmann, H.; Kim, Y. H.; Martinez, J. I.; Merrill, F. E.; Schmidt, D. W.; Simpson, R. A.; Volegov, P. L.; Wilde, C. H. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544 (United States); Fittinghoff, D. N.; Izumi, N. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)

2015-04-15

Neutron and x-ray imaging provide critical information about the geometry and hydrodynamics of inertial confinement fusion implosions. However, existing diagnostics at Omega and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) cannot produce images in both neutrons and x-rays along the same line of sight. This leads to difficulty comparing these images, which capture different parts of the plasma geometry, for the asymmetric implosions seen in present experiments. Further, even when opposing port neutron and x-ray images are available, they use different detectors and cannot provide positive information about the relative positions of the neutron and x-ray sources. A technique has been demonstrated on implosions at Omega that can capture x-ray images along the same line of sight as the neutron images. The technique is described, and data from a set of experiments are presented, along with a discussion of techniques for coregistration of the various images. It is concluded that the technique is viable and could provide valuable information if implemented on NIF in the near future.

The impact of work experience of small and medium-sized enterprises owners or managers on their competitive intelligence awareness and practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rene Pellissier

2013-06-01

Objectives: The objective of this research was to establish the influence of owners’ and managers' working experience of CI practice and awareness in the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs environment. Method: This research was quantitative in nature and a questionnaire was used to collect data from SMEs owners and managers in The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. Results: This research indicates that SMEs in the study are aware of CI through education and training. Moreover, the study reveals that the working experience of owners and managers has a great influence on awareness and practice of CI and one should implement training programmes in this domain to assist with building competitive advantage. Conclusion: Small and medium-sized enterprises owners or managers’ years of working experience has a greater influence on awareness and practice of CI. Put differently, years of working experience is a great predictor of CI awareness and practice.

Deep Brain Stimulation Salvages a Flourishing Dental Practice: A Dentist with Essential Tremor Recounts his Experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Giacopuzzi, Guy; Lising, Melanie; Halpern, Casey H

2016-10-22

In recounting his experience with deep brain stimulation (DBS), a practicing dentist challenged with long-standing bilateral essential tremor of the hands shares insights into his diagnosis, treatments, and ultimately successful DBS surgery at Stanford University Medical Center, CA, USA. Now nearly one year after his surgery, his practice continues to flourish and he encourages others in his profession to consider the possibility of DBS as a definitive treatment for tremors of the hand, which may salvage their practice.

The experience of mental health professionals using neuro emotional technique in psychotherapeutic practice

Science.gov (United States)

Marriage, Amanda Lynn

This study reviewed how Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) is used in psychotherapeutic practice, and how it is understood and experienced by the practitioners who use it. Participants included 18 mental health professionals who have obtained the certification-level of training in NET and have incorporated NET into their professional practice. A qualitative method was used to explore NET providers' experiences through an online survey. Data from these surveys was analyzed using the constant comparative method. Six categories containing 18 themes emerged as a result of this analysis. These categories included: (1) practitioners currently employing NET; (2) technique utilization; (3) participant estimation of the efficacy of NET; (4) talking about NET; (5) clients most likely to benefit from NET; and (6) clients least likely to benefit from NET. The 18 themes that emerged within these categories represent important components of the integration of NET into psychological treatment. These themes were compared with existing literature to serve as valuable information for psychologists and other mental health professionals seeking to incorporate NET into their professional practices. This study helps to fill the current void in the area of research on NET as a psychological intervention, or more specifically, as a holistic mind-body approach to self-betterment and the amelioration of symptoms for humans who are healing from a broad spectrum of traumatic and stressful experiences.

Intra lines uniformity and inter lines variation of rice mutants resulting from irradiation of South Kalimantan local varieties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raihani Wahdah; Gusti Rumayadi; Rahmi Zulhidiani

2016-01-01

The preference of farmer in tidal swamp on local rice varieties are quite high, but local varieties have a long life and low yield characters, so it needs to be improved for the trait. This study is part of activities of the local rice varieties improvement to generate promising lines were short-moderate aged, but the slimming and pera (high amylose content) grains maintained. The aims of this study were to determine the intra lines uniformity and the inter lines variation of M5 generation of rice mutant lines. The experiment was carried out in the Experimental Station of Agriculture Faculty, Lambung Mangkurat University from March to September 2014. The experiment used 150 earliest flowering lines of 300 M5 mutant lines that were planted. Intra lines uniformity were analysed by comparing the variance of each mutant lines with variance of its parent, while the variation among lines were analyzed by comparing the variance of all lines with variance of its parent. More than 85 % M5 mutant lines from Siam Harli as parent and > 79 % of Siam Kuatek as parent are uniform. The uniform character at all M5 mutant lines, both of Siam Harli or Siam Kuatek parent are the harvest age, the filled grains number, and the empty grains number. There is no variability between M5 mutant lines, but some of M5 mutant lines from Siam Harli and Siam Kuatek have some better characters than their parents, so there is an opportunity for selection. (author)

Building to Make a Difference: Advanced Practice Nurses' Experience of Power.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoales, Catherine A; Bourbonnais, Frances Fothergill; Rashotte, Judy

2018-02-01

Power is necessary for nurses to affect change in patient care and to move the nursing profession forward. Despite the evolving body of nursing research on power, there have been no studies that have investigated the nature of advanced practice nurses' (APNs') power. The purpose of this study was to explore the APNs' lived experience of power. Interpretive phenomenology guided the method and analysis. Eight APNs employed in a single Canadian tertiary care teaching health-care organization engaged in in-depth interviews. The overarching theme, building to make a difference, reflected the APNs' perception of power in their practice, which involved a passion to facilitate change in practice to improve patient care. Building to make a difference involved three themes: building on, building with, and building for. The APNs experienced more power-a process they described as power creep-when they used soft power that was shared with others to affect positive change in health care. These findings contribute to our understanding of how power is perceived and manifested in the APN role, thus further enabling organizations to create working conditions to support the APNs' endeavors to empower others.

Field experience with advanced methods of on-line monitoring of water chemistry and corrosion degradation in nuclear power stations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stellwag, B [Siemens AG Unternehmensbereich KWU, Erlangen (Germany); Aaltonen, P [Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland); Hickling, J [CML GmbH, Erlangen (Germany)

1997-02-01

Advanced methods for on-line, in-situ water chemistry and corrosion monitoring in nuclear power stations have been developed during the past decade. The terms ``on-line`` and ``in-situ`` characterize approaches involving continuous measurement of relevant parameters in high temperature water, preferably directly in the systems and components and not in removed samples at room temperature. This paper describes the field experience to-date with such methods in terms of three examples: (1) On-line chemistry monitoring of the primary coolant during shutdown of a Type WWER-440 PWR. (2) Redox and corrosion potential measurements in final feedwater preheaters and steam generators of two large KWU PWRs over several cycles of plant operation. (3) Real-time, in-situ corrosion surveillance inside the calundia vault of a CANDU reactor. The way in which water chemistry sensors and corrosion monitoring sensors complement each other is outlined: on-line, in-situ measurement of pH, conductivity and redox potential gives information about the possible corrosivity of the environment. Electrochemical noise techniques display signals of corrosion activity under the actual environmental conditions. A common experience gained from separate use of these different types of sensors has been that new and additional information about plants and their actual process conditions is obtained. Moreover, they reveal the intimate relationship between the operational situation and its consequences for the quality of the working fluid and the corrosion behaviour of the plant materials. On this basis, the efficiency of the existing chemistry sampling and control system can be checked and corrosion degradation can be minimized. Furthermore, activity buildup in the primary circuit can be studied. Further significant advantages can be expected from an integration of these various types of sensors into a common water chemistry and corrosion surveillance system. (Abstract Truncated)

Nurses' experiences, expectations, and preferences for mind-body practices to reduce stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Kemper, Kathi; Bulla, Sally; Krueger, Deborah; Ott, Mary Jane; McCool, Jane A; Gardiner, Paula

2011-04-11

Most research on the impact of mind-body training does not ask about participants' baseline experience, expectations, or preferences for training. To better plan participant-centered mind-body intervention trials for nurses to reduce occupational stress, such descriptive information would be valuable. We conducted an anonymous email survey between April and June, 2010 of North American nurses interested in mind-body training to reduce stress. The e-survey included: demographic characteristics, health conditions and stress levels; experiences with mind-body practices; expected health benefits; training preferences; and willingness to participate in future randomized controlled trials. Of the 342 respondents, 96% were women and 92% were Caucasian. Most (73%) reported one or more health conditions, notably anxiety (49%); back pain (41%); GI problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (34%); or depression (33%). Their median occupational stress level was 4 (0 = none; 5 = extreme stress). Nearly all (99%) reported already using one or more mind-body practices to reduce stress: intercessory prayer (86%), breath-focused meditation (49%), healing or therapeutic touch (39%), yoga/tai chi/qi gong (34%), or mindfulness-based meditation (18%). The greatest expected benefits were for greater spiritual well-being (56%); serenity, calm, or inner peace (54%); better mood (51%); more compassion (50%); or better sleep (42%). Most (65%) wanted additional training; convenience (74% essential or very important), was more important than the program's reputation (49%) or scientific evidence about effectiveness (32%) in program selection. Most (65%) were willing to participate in a randomized trial of mind-body training; among these, most were willing to collect salivary cortisol (60%), or serum biomarkers (53%) to assess the impact of training. Most nurses interested in mind-body training already engage in such practices. They have greater expectations about spiritual and emotional than

Operating experience with KRAFTWERK UNION cementation line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Podmaka, L.; Tomik, L.

1988-01-01

A facility is described designed for fixation in a cement matrix of the radioactive concentrate produced by thickening waste water from the Bohunice nuclear power plant. The cementation line output is 0.6 m 3 concentrate/h. The concentrate is put in 200 l drums. The individual operating units, cement management, air conditioning, dosimetric monitoring and the building part are described. The requirements for the operators and the assessment of the quality of raw materials and the product are discussed. (M.D.). 3 figs., 4 refs

Knowledge, behavioral practices, and experiences of outdoor fallers: Implications for prevention programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Chippendale, Tracy; Raveis, Victoria

2017-09-01

Although the epidemiology and prevention of falls has been well studied, the focus has been on indoor rather than outdoor falls. Older adults' knowledge of outdoor risk factors and their outdoor fall prevention practices have not been examined. To fill this gap, and to inform the development of a prevention program, we sought to explore the experiences and fall prevention knowledge and practices of older adults who had sustained an outdoor fall. A cross-sectional study using random digit telephone dialing was used to survey community dwelling seniors (N=120) across the five boroughs of New York City. We used the Outdoor Falls Questionnaire (OFQ), a valid and reliable tool as the survey instrument. Perceived outdoor fall risks, strategies used for prevention, and outdoor fall experiences were examined. SPSS version 21 was used for descriptive analysis of participant characteristics and to determine frequencies of perceived outdoor fall risks and strategies used for prevention. Phenomenological analysis was used with the qualitative data. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed separately and a mixed methods matrix was used to interpret and integrate the findings. Analysis revealed diverse unmet education and training needs including the importance of using single vision glasses, understanding the fall risks associated with recreational areas and parking lots, safe outdoor walking strategies, safe carrying of items on level and uneven surfaces, as well as when walking up and down stairs, and safety in opening/closing doors. Study findings are informative for outdoor fall prevention programs as well as practice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Qualitative Assessment of the Practice Experiences of Certified Diabetes Educator Pharmacists.

Science.gov (United States)

Alzahrani, Fahad; Taylor, Jeff; Perepelkin, Jason; Mansell, Kerry

2015-08-01

To describe the practice experiences of Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) pharmacists in Saskatchewan and determine what impact the CDE designation has had on their personal practices. A qualitative research approach was used. All pharmacists in Saskatchewan were e-mailed about the study, and eventually, a purposive sampling method was used to select a range of CDE pharmacists. Semistructured, in-person interviews were performed. An interview guide was developed to assess the work activities performed, the benefits of becoming a CDE and the challenges and resultant solutions that optimize their CDE designations. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded using deductive thematic analysis to identify the main themes that described the experiences of respondents, with the aid of QSR NVivo. A total of 14 CDE pharmacists from various communities and work settings chose to participate. All of the participants indicated they were engaging in increased diabetes-related activities since becoming CDEs. All participants indicated they were happy with their decisions to become CDEs and described numerous benefits as a direct result of achieving this designation. Although some solutions were offered, participants still face challenges in optimizing their role as CDEs, such as devoting enough time to diabetes management and remuneration for providing diabetes services. CDE pharmacists in Saskatchewan report performing enhanced diabetes-related activities subsequent to becoming CDEs and that obtaining this designation has had a positive impact on their personal practices. A larger, cross-country study is necessary to determine whether these results are consistent amongst all pharmacists in Canada. Copyright © 2015 Canadian Diabetes Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Seclusion and restraint in psychiatry: patients' experiences and practical suggestions on how to improve practices and use alternatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Kontio, Raija; Joffe, Grigori; Putkonen, Hanna; Kuosmanen, Lauri; Hane, Kimmo; Holi, Matti; Välimäki, Maritta

2012-01-01

This study explored psychiatric inpatients' experiences of, and their suggestions for, improvement of seclusion/restraint, and alternatives to their use in Finland. The data were collected by focused interviews (n= 30) and were analyzed with inductive content analysis. Patients' perspectives received insufficient attention during seclusion/restraint processes. Improvements (e.g., humane treatment) and alternatives (e.g., empathetic patient-staff interaction) to seclusion/restraint, as suggested by the patients, focused on essential parts of nursing practice but have not been largely adopted. Patients' basic needs have to be met, and patient-staff interaction has to also continue during seclusion/restraint. Providing patients with meaningful activities, planning beforehand, documenting the patients' wishes, and making patient-staff agreements reduce the need for restrictions and offer alternatives for seclusion/restraint. Service users must be involved in all practical development. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Applying TPM on Production Line of Huanwei

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhai Yunkai

2017-01-01

The study based on the study and analysis of the TPM theory, based on my practice in the SMT2 production line of Victoria Electronics of Huanwei. Then it studied the promotion and implementation steps of TPM on SMT2 line. And it also introduced the improvement instance of SMT2 line. By contrasting the utilization of equipment on SMT2 line before and after the comprehensive of TPM, the necessity of implementing TPM is derived. For how to apply TPM on the production lines, and how to improve equipment comprehensive utilization, finish the order on time, provide high quality products to our customers, these are the main part of production line equipment management work. This article provides the reference for how to promote TPM on other production lines.

Survey highlights the need to expand offerings of introductory pharmacy practice experiences in psychiatry and neurology: Benefits and example experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Bostwick, Jolene R; Leung, Gillian P; Smith, Tawny L; Ahmed, Uzma; Bainbridge, Jacquelyn L; Peyronnet, Jean-Xavier

2018-01-01

Introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) are 1 requirement schools and colleges of pharmacy must fulfill to meet accreditation standards. The purpose of this manuscript is to report existing IPPEs in psychiatry and neurology across the United States. Two separate electronic surveys were administered to individual College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists members with board certification in psychiatric pharmacy with an academic affiliation and academic institutions in the 2014-15 academic year to assess the neuropsychiatric curriculum in pharmacy programs. Results focusing on IPPEs were summarized using descriptive statistics. Academic institutional data reveal only 37.3% offered IPPEs in psychiatry, and 6.7% offered neurology. The number of available IPPEs is low even if a program offered an available rotation. The majority of College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists member respondents (69.9%) did not offer IPPEs in psychiatry in the 2014-15 academic year, and none offered an IPPE in neurology. More than half of individual respondents feel their institution should increase IPPEs in psychiatry and neurology in order to enhance their curriculum. To expand IPPE availability, pharmacy programs should increase early exposure of pharmacy students to patients with psychiatric and neurologic conditions. Longitudinal experiences may allow students to engage in hands-on experiences, which may impact future career aspirations and reduce stigma. Current example IPPEs at the authors' institutions are included to stimulate discussion and action among readers on how IPPEs in these practice areas may be developed. Implementation of IPPEs in psychiatry and neurology is needed for students to gain experience working with these patients.

Numerical Models for Exact Description of in-situ Digital In-Line Holography Experiments with Irregularly-Shaped Arbitrarily-Located Particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marc Brunel

2015-04-01

Full Text Available We present the development of a numerical simulator for digital in-line holography applications. In-line holograms of arbitrarily shaped and arbitrarily located objects are calculated using generalized Huygens-Fresnel integrals. The objects are 2D opaque or phase objects. The optical set-up is described by its optical transfer matrix. A wide variety of optical systems, involving windows, spherical or cylindrical lenses, can thus be taken into account. It makes the simulator applicable for design and description of in situ experiments. We discuss future applications of this simulator for detection of nanoparticles in droplets, or calibration of airborne instruments that detect and measure ice crystals in the atmosphere.

Opting for rural practice: the influence of medical student origin, intention and immersion experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Playford, Denese; Ngo, Hanh; Gupta, Surabhi; Puddey, Ian B

2017-08-21

To compare the influence of rural background, rural intent at medical school entry, and Rural Clinical School (RCS) participation on the likelihood of later participation in rural practice. Analysis of linked data from the Medical School Outcomes Database Commencing Medical Students Questionnaire (CMSQ), routinely collected demographic information, and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency database on practice location. University of Western Australia medical students who completed the CMSQ during 2006-2010 and were practising medicine in 2016. Medical practice in rural areas (ASGC-RAs 2-5) during postgraduate years 2-5. Full data were available for 508 eligible medical graduates. Rural background (OR, 3.91; 95% CI, 2.12-7.21; P practice in the multivariate analysis of all potential factors. When interactions between intention, origin, and RCS experience were included, RCS participation significantly increased the likelihood of graduates with an initial rural intention practising in a rural location (OR, 3.57; 95% CI, 1.25-10.2; P = 0.017). The effect of RCS participation was not significant if there was no pre-existing intention to practise rurally (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 0.61-3.16; P = 0.44). For students who entered medical school with the intention to later work in a rural location, RCS experience was the deciding factor for realising this intention. Background, intent and RCS participation should all be considered if medical schools are to increase the proportion of graduates working rurally.

Ergonomics in dentistry: experiences of the practice by dental students.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, P P N S; Gottardello, A C A; Wajngarten, D; Presoto, C D; Campos, J A D B

2017-08-01

The aim of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the experiences of students enrolled in the last year of dentistry school with ergonomic practice. This is a qualitative, observational and cross-sectional study, with a non-probabilistic sample design. The sample comprised students enrolled in the last year of dentistry in Araraquara-UNESP (n = 29). The data were collected by means of open semi-structured and individual interviews, captured by a digital voice recorder. The students were interviewed in their own university at a time that was previously scheduled, and care was taken to provide a private and welcoming environment to carry out the interviews. A script containing questions related to practices in ergonomics was prepared at the university. Data analysis was carried out using the qualitative-quantitative Collective Subject Discourse technique with the aid of Qualiquantisoft ® software program. It was found that more than half of the students (58.6%) believe that adopting an ergonomic posture is important to prevent future problems, pain and occupational diseases, and 62.1% of the students confirm having difficulties in adopting ergonomic postures due to the types of treatment required and the regions of the mouth being treated. The main reasons stated for the fact that their colleagues do not adopt ergonomic postures are lack of attention, practice and forgetfulness (44.8%) and difficulty in visualising the operatory field or the procedure performed (27.6%). It is possible to conclude that the students interviewed know ergonomic principles and their importance in occupational health. However, they found it difficult to put these principles into practice. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Nurses' beliefs, experiences and practice regarding complementary and alternative medicine in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Graeme D; Wu, Shu-Chen

2012-09-01

To gain an insight into this issue, this study used a qualitative approach and aims to explore and describe nurses' beliefs, experiences and practice regarding complementary and alternative medicine in Taiwan. The integration of complementary and alternative medicine with conventional medicine has become more common worldwide in recent years. An increase in patient use and an expansion of nurses using complementary and alternative medicine has spawned further investigation. Most published studies have concentrated on the usage of complementary and alternative medicine in western societies and have focused principally on physicians' attitudes and practice patterns in this regard. Despite the large amount of time and the unique relationship that nurses share with their patients, little research has investigated the nurse's attitudes and practice regarding complementary and alternative medicine. Moreover, there has been no previous research into understanding this issue from the Taiwanese nursing perspective. A qualitative research design. By using an exploratory, descriptive, qualitative approach, data were collected from 11 registered nurses. The methods of the data collection were in-depth, semi-structured interviews, field notes and memos and the data were analysed using the constant comparative method. Three major categories emerged from the data; namely, a 'lack of clear definition', 'limited experience' and 'high interest' towards complementary and alternative medicine. These results suggest that the definition of complementary and alternative medicine is often unclear for nurses in Taiwan. Due to the organisational policies and personal knowledge base, very few nurses integrate complementary and alternative medicine into their daily practice. However, the nurses in Taiwan show a great desire to participate in complementary and alternative medicine continuing education programmes. This study is not only significant in filling the gap in the existing literature

Evaluation of Efficient Line Lengths for Better Readability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahid Hussain

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper the major findings of a formal experiment about onscreen text line lengths are presented. The experiment examined the effects of four different line lengths on the reading speed and the reading efficiency. Efficiency is defined as a combination of reading speed and accuracy. Sixteen people between the age of 24 and 36 participated at the experiment. The subjects had to read four different texts with an average line length around 2000 characters. The texts contained substitution words, which had to be detected by the subjects to measure reading accuracy. Besides objective measures like reading speed and accuracy, the subjects were asked to subjectively vote on their reading experience. The results from our objective measures show strong similarities to those of the work done previously by different researchers. The absolute reading speed grows when the line length grows from CPL (Characters Per Line 30-120. The measured reading efficiency, however, doesn\\\\\\'t grow steadily, although a growing trend can be seen. This is due to the fact, that the test persons found in average more substitution words from the 60 CPL text than they did from the 30 and 90 CPL texts. The reading speed seems to increase while the line length increases but the overall comprehension seems to peak at medium line lengths. As in the previous studies, our test persons also prefer the medium (60 and 90 CPL line lengths, although they perform better when reading longer lines. In the overall subjective opinion 13 out of 16 test persons selected the 60 or 90 CPL line length as their favorite. The literature doesn\\\\\\'t truly provide a scientific explanation for the difference between the objective performance and the subjective preference. A natural hypothesis would be that the line length that is the fastest to read would also feel most comfortable to the readers but in the light of this and the earlier research it seems like this is not the case.

Oncology nurses and the experience of participation in an evidence-based practice project.

Science.gov (United States)

Fridman, Mary; Frederickson, Keville

2014-07-01

To illuminate the experiences of oncology nurses who participated in an evidence-based practice (EBP) project in an institution with an EBP organizational structure. A descriptive phenomenologic approach and in-depth interviews with each participant. An oncology-focused academic medical center with an established organizational infrastructure for EBP. 12 RNs working in an oncology setting who participated in an EBP project. Descriptive, qualitative phenomenologic approach through use of interviews and analysis of interview text. Four essential themes (i.e., support, challenges, evolution, and empowerment) and 11 subthemes emerged that reflected nurses' professional and personal growth, as well as the creation of a culture of EBP in the workplace. The participants described the EBP project as a positive, empowering personal and professional evolutionary experience with supports and challenges that resulted in improvements in patient care. To the authors' knowledge, the current study is the first qualitative study to demonstrate improved nursing outcomes (e.g., professional growth, improved nursing performance) and nurses' perception of improved patient outcomes (e.g., ongoing healthcare collaboration, evidence-based changes in practice).

Experience of developing Twitter-based communities of practice in higher education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bex Lewis

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This article presents the results of a case study of the use of a microblogging tool by a university academic to increase their knowledge and experience of social media for educational purposes. The academic had the role of digital steward in a university and attempted to use microblogging (Twitter to increase professional contacts within the framework of a community of practice. Several types of data were collected and analysed. These included the structure of the network arising from the links formed with others by microblogging, the similarity of stated interests between the academic and others in the network, and the contents of postings such as their external references. It was found that a personal network had been established, with some of the characteristics of a community of practice. The activity demonstrated the utility of social media in supporting the professional development of academic staff using technology.

Silver linings.

Science.gov (United States)

Bultas, Margaret W; Pohlman, Shawn

2014-01-01

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to gain a better understanding of the experiences of 11 mothers of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mothers were interviewed three times over a 6 week period. Interviews were analyzed using interpretive methods. This manuscript highlights one particular theme-a positive perspective mothers described as the "silver lining." This "silver lining" represents optimism despite the adversities associated with parenting a child with ASD. A deeper understanding of this side of mothering children with ASD may help health care providers improve rapport, communication, and result in more authentic family centered care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Examination of the Outcomes of the Undergraduate Leadership Teaching Assistant (ULTA) Experience as a High-Impact Practice in Leadership Education

Science.gov (United States)

Odom, Summer F.; Ho, Sarah P.; Moore, Lori L.

2015-01-01

The Undergraduate Leadership Teaching Assistant (ULTA) experience offers students a high-impact opportunity to develop, practice, and evaluate their leadership knowledge, skills, and abilities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine outcomes of the ULTA experience as a high-impact practice for students studying leadership. Weekly…

Previous Experience a Model of Practice UNAE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ormary Barberi Ruiz

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The statements presented in this article represents a preliminary version of the proposed model of pre-professional practices (PPP of the National University of Education (UNAE of Ecuador, an urgent institutional necessity is revealed in the descriptive analyzes conducted from technical support - administrative (reports, interviews, testimonials, pedagogical foundations of UNAE (curricular directionality, transverse axes in practice, career plan, approach and diagnostic examination as subject nature of the pre professional practice and the demand of socio educational contexts where the practices have been emerging to resize them. By relating these elements allowed conceiving the modeling of the processes of the pre-professional practices for the development of professional skills of future teachers through four components: contextual projective, implementation (tutoring, accompaniment (teaching couple and monitoring (meetings at the beginning, during and end of practice. The initial training of teachers is inherent to teaching (academic and professional training, research and links with the community, these are fundamental pillars of Ecuadorian higher education.

A neural network device for on-line particle identification in cosmic ray experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scrimaglio, R.; Finetti, N.; D'Altorio, L.; Rantucci, E.; Raso, M.; Segreto, E.; Tassoni, A.; Cardarilli, G.C.

2004-01-01

On-line particle identification is one of the main goals of many experiments in space both for rare event studies and for optimizing measurements along the orbital trajectory. Neural networks can be a useful tool for signal processing and real time data analysis in such experiments. In this document we report on the performances of a programmable neural device which was developed in VLSI analog/digital technology. Neurons and synapses were accomplished by making use of Operational Transconductance Amplifier (OTA) structures. In this paper we report on the results of measurements performed in order to verify the agreement of the characteristic curves of each elementary cell with simulations and on the device performances obtained by implementing simple neural structures on the VLSI chip. A feed-forward neural network (Multi-Layer Perceptron, MLP) was implemented on the VLSI chip and trained to identify particles by processing the signals of two-dimensional position-sensitive Si detectors. The radiation monitoring device consisted of three double-sided silicon strip detectors. From the analysis of a set of simulated data it was found that the MLP implemented on the neural device gave results comparable with those obtained with the standard method of analysis confirming that the implemented neural network could be employed for real time particle identification

Long Lines Not So Practical in China while Small and Medium Sized Lines Favored

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shao-Ying Chu

2003-05-01

Full Text Available Maglev railroads have taken actual steps in China sincethe cooperation work between Germany and China, whichbrings more prospects to this technology. However, due to variousreasons, large-scaled long lines seem to be not so practicalat present in China, while the small and medium space scaledlines may be the initial alternatives with the booming ofthree super-metropolis groups in China, namely, the ZhujiangRiver Delta, the "Grand Beijing" area and the Yangtze RiverDelta.

Portfolio analysis of a destination's tourism "product line"

Science.gov (United States)

Harold Daniel

2007-01-01

If we think of a tourist destination as a platform from which a variety of tourist experiences can be delivered, we could conceptualize these experiences as the "product line" offered by or associated with the tourist destination. That conceptualization enables the manager of the destination to employ the logic and discipline associated with product line...

Holistic health care: Patients' experiences of health care provided by an Advanced Practice Nurse.

Science.gov (United States)

Eriksson, Irene; Lindblad, Monica; Möller, Ulrika; Gillsjö, Catharina

2018-02-01

Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) is a fairly new role in the Swedish health care system. To describe patients' experiences of health care provided by an APN in primary health care. An inductive, descriptive qualitative approach with qualitative open-ended interviews was chosen to obtain descriptions from 10 participants regarding their experiences of health care provided by an APN. The data were collected during the spring 2012, and a qualitative approach was used for analyze. The APNs had knowledge and skills to provide safe and secure individual and holistic health care with high quality, and a respectful and flexible approach. The APNs conveyed trust and safety and provided health care that satisfied the patients' needs of accessibility and appropriateness in level of care. The APNs way of providing health care and promoting health seems beneficial in many ways for the patients. The individual and holistic approach that characterizes the health care provided by the APNs is a key aspect in the prevailing change of health care practice. The transfer of care and the increasing number of older adults, often with a variety of complex health problems, call for development of the new role in this context. © 2017 The Authors. International Journal of Nursing Practice Published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Moving droplets : The measurement of contact lines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poelma, C.; Franken, M.J.Z.; Kim, H.; Westerweel, J.

2014-01-01

Contact lines are the locations where a gas, liquid and a solid meet. From everyday experience we know that such contact lines can be mobile, for example in the case of a water droplet sliding over a glass surface. However, the continuum description of the flow towards or away from a contact line

Virtual school teacher's science efficacy beliefs: The effects of community of practice on science-teaching efficacy beliefs

Science.gov (United States)

Uzoff, Phuong Pham

The purpose of this study was to examine how much K-12 science teachers working in a virtual school experience a community of practice and how that experience affects personal science-teaching efficacy and science-teaching outcome expectancy. The study was rooted in theoretical frameworks from Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice and Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy beliefs. The researcher used three surveys to examine schoolteachers' experiences of a community of practice and science-teaching efficacy beliefs. The instrument combined Mangieri's (2008) virtual teacher demographic survey, Riggs and Enochs (1990) Science-teaching efficacy Beliefs Instrument-A (STEBI-A), and Cadiz, Sawyer, and Griffith's (2009) Experienced Community of Practice (eCoP) instrument. The results showed a significant linear statistical relationship between the science teachers' experiences of community of practice and personal science-teaching efficacy. In addition, the study found that there was also a significant linear statistical relationship between teachers' community of practice experiences and science-teaching outcome expectancy. The results from this study were in line with numerous studies that have found teachers who are involved in a community of practice report higher science-teaching efficacy beliefs (Akerson, Cullen, & Hanson, 2009; Fazio, 2009; Lakshmanan, Heath, Perlmutter, & Elder, 2011; Liu, Lee, & Lin, 2010; Sinclair, Naizer, & Ledbetter, 2010). The researcher concluded that school leaders, policymakers, and researchers should increase professional learning opportunities that are grounded in social constructivist theoretical frameworks in order to increase teachers' science efficacy.

Beam line for experiments with coherent soft x-rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howells, M.R.; Kirz, J.; Krinsky, S.

1982-12-01

The advantages of coherent soft x-rays for three-dimensional imaging of biological specimens are discussed, the x-ray source requirements are described, and the general design of the beam line and its optical system are given

Is it all in the game? Flow experience and scientific practices during an INPLACE mobile game

Science.gov (United States)

Bressler, Denise M.

Mobile science learning games show promise for promoting scientific practices and high engagement. Researchers have quantified this engagement according to flow theory. Using an embedded mixed methods design, this study investigated whether an INPLACE mobile game promotes flow experience, scientific practices, and effective team collaboration. Students playing the game (n=59) were compared with students in a business-as-usual control activity (n=120). Using an open-ended instrument designed to measure scientific practices and a self-report flow survey, this study empirically assessed flow and learner's scientific practices. The game players had significantly higher levels of flow and scientific practices. Using a multiple case study approach, collaboration among game teams (n=3 teams) were qualitatively compared with control teams (n=3 teams). Game teams revealed not only higher levels of scientific practices but also higher levels of engaged responses and communal language. Control teams revealed lower levels of scientific practice along with higher levels of rejecting responses and command language. Implications for these findings are discussed.

Open access and its practical impact on the work of academic librarians collection development, public services, and the library and information science literature

CERN Document Server

Bowering Mullen, Laura

2010-01-01

This book is aimed at the practicing academic librarian, especially those working on the 'front lines' of reference, instruction, collection development, and other capacities that involve dealing directly with library patrons in a time of changing scholarly communication paradigms. The book looks at open access from the perspective of a practicing academic librarian and challenges fellow librarians to continue the dialogue about how the movement might be affecting day-to-day library work and the future of academic libraries. * Written by a practicing academic librarian with many years experience in reference, as well as in collection development and faculty liaison roles* Written with the "front-line" academic librarian in mind from a practical point of view* Contains numerous references to refer the reader to many open access resources; includes extensive footnotes for further reading

Practical methods of target preparation for use in nuclear experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugai, Isao.

1976-01-01

This is the fifth report on the practical methods of target preparation for use in nuclear experiments following the previous one (INS-J-152, 1975). Electro-deposition is a very powerful technique well suited to the preparation of self-supporting targets of Ni, Cr, Zn, Rh, Cd, Sb and Pb metals over a wide range of thickness from 1 to 20 mg/cm 2 . The uniformities of the thicknesses of Cr, Zn, Rh, Cd and Pb targets were measured with α- and β-ray thickness gauges. The impurities in Cr target were checked by the measurement of elastically scattered protons, and by a optical spectrometer. (auth.)

Controlled Compact High Voltage Power Lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Postolati V.

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Nowadays modern overhead transmission lines (OHL constructions having several significant differences from conventional ones are being used in power grids more and more widely. Implementation of compact overhead lines equipped with FACTS devices, including phase angle regulator settings (compact controlled OHL, appears to be one of the most effective ways of power grid development. Compact controlled AC HV OHL represent a new generation of power transmission lines embodying recent advanced achievements in design solutions, including towers and insulation, together with interconnection schemes and control systems. Results of comprehensive research and development in relation to 110–500kV compact controlled power transmission lines together with theoretical basis, substantiation, and methodological approaches to their practical application are presented in the present paper.

An analysis model of the secondary tunnel lining considering ground-primary support-secondary lining interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seo, Seong-Ho; Chang, Seok-Bue [Yooshin Engineering Corporation, Seoul(Korea); Lee, Sang-Duk [Ajou University, Suwon(Korea)

2002-06-30

It is the common practice to over design the reinforcement for the secondary tunnel lining due to the lack of rational insight into the ground loosening loads, and due to the conservative application of the empirical design methods. The main loads of the secondary lining are the ground loosening loads and the ground water pressure, and the ground load is critical in the reinforcement design of the secondary lining in the case of drained tunnel. If the external load is absent around a tunnel. the reasons of the load for secondary tunnel lining are the deterioration of the primary supports such as shotcrete, steel rib, and rock bolts. Accordingly, the analysis method considering the ground-primary supports-secondary lining interaction should be required for the rational design of the secondary tunnel lining. In this paper, the interaction was conceptually described by the simple mass-spring model and the load transfer from the ground and primary supports to the secondary lining is showed by the ground-primary supports-secondary lining reaction curves for the theoretical solution of a circular tunnel, And also, the application of this proposed model to numerical analysis is verified in order to check the potential for the tunnel with the complex analysis conditions. (author). 8 refs., 2 tabs., 7 figs.

Current Practices in Global/International Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences: Home/Host Country or Site/Institution Considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Alsharif, Naser Z; Dakkuri, Adnan; Abrons, Jeanine P; Williams, Dennis; Ombengi, David N; Zheng, HaiAn; Al-Dahir, Sara; Tofade, Toyin; Gim, Suzanna; O'Connell, Mary Beth; Ratka, Anna; Dornblaser, Emily

2016-04-25

International outreach by schools and colleges of pharmacy is increasing. In this paper, we provide current practice guidelines to establish and maintain successful global/international advanced pharmacy practice experiences (G/I APPEs) with specific recommendations for home/host country and host site/institution. The paper is based on a literature review (2000-2014) in databases and Internet searches with specific keywords or terms. Educational documents such as syllabi and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) from pharmacy programs were also examined. In addition, a preliminary draft was developed and the findings and recommendations were reviewed in a 90-minute roundtable discussion at the 2014 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting. Recommendations for the host country include travel considerations (eg, passport, visa, air travel), safety, housing, transportation, travel alerts and warnings, health issues, and financial considerations. For the home country, considerations for establishment of G/I APPE site (eg, vetting process, MoU, site expectations) are described. The paper is a resource for development of new G/I APPEs and provides guidance for continuous quality improvement of partnerships focusing on G/I pharmacy education.

Walking the line between the possible and the ideal: lived experiences of neonatal nurses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aagaard, Hanne; Hall, Elisabeth; Ammentorp, Jette

2011-01-01

. London, St. George Hospital Juni 2011 Objective: To investigate the lived experiences of neonatal nurses, that is, what it is like to be a neonatal nurse after developmental care is introduced in the unit. Methods: The study was designed as a qualitative interview study with a hermeneuticphenom....... London, St. George Hospital Juni 2011 Objective: To investigate the lived experiences of neonatal nurses, that is, what it is like to be a neonatal nurse after developmental care is introduced in the unit. Methods: The study was designed as a qualitative interview study...... with a hermeneuticphenomenological approach. Participants were seven neonatal nurses working in an 18-bed level 2 and 3 neonatal unit at a tertiary university hospital in Denmark. Developmental care was recently introduced in the unit, parents spend many hours a day with their baby and stay overnight in guestrooms at the hospital....... Results: The essential theme of the phenomenon being a neonatal nurse is found to be ‘walking the line between the possible and the ideal’. Five themes illuminate this essence. They are: ‘being attentive to the infant and the mother—infant dyad’, ‘the body tells’, ‘time is everything’, ‘working in a quiet...

A new practice environment measure based on the reality and experiences of nurses working lives.

Science.gov (United States)

Webster, Joan; Flint, Anndrea; Courtney, Mary

2009-01-01

To explore the underlying organizational issues affecting a nurses' decision to leave and to develop a contemporary practice environment measure based on the experiences of nurses working lives. Turnover had reached an unacceptable level in our organization but underlying reasons for leaving were unknown. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 nurses who had resigned. Transcripts were analysed using the constant comparative method. Information from the interviews informed the development a new practice environment tool, which has undergone initial testing using the Content Validity Index and Chronbach's alpha. Two domains ('work life' and 'personal life/professional development') and five themes ('feeling safe', 'feeling valued', 'getting things done', 'professional development' and 'being flexible') emerged from the interviews. A content validity score for the new instrument was 0.79 and Chronbach's alpha 0.93. The new practice environment tool has shown useful initial reliability and validity but requires wider testing in other settings. The reality and experiences of nurses working lives can be identified through exit interviews conducted by an independent person. Information from such interviews is useful in identifying an organization's strength and weaknesses and to develop initiatives to support retention.

Experience in the development and practical use of working control levels for radiation safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Epishin, A.V.

1981-01-01

The experience of development and practical use of working control levels (WCL) of radiation safety in the Gorky region, is discussed. WCL are introduced by ''Radiation Safety Guides'' (RSG-76) and have great practical importance. Regional control levels of radiation safety are determined for certain types of operations implying radioactive hazard and differentiated according to the types of sources applied and types of operation. Dose rates, radioactive contamination of operating surfaces, skin, air and waste water are subject to normalization. Limits of individual radiation doses specified according to operation categories are included. 10 tables of regional WCL indices are developed [ru

Update on Common-Cause Failure Experience and Mitigation Practices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, Richard Thomas [ORNL; Muhlheim, Michael David [ORNL; Pullum, Laura L [ORNL; Smith, Cyrus M [ORNL; Holcomb, David Eugene [ORNL; Korsah, Kofi [ORNL

2014-04-01

Experience in other industries has shown that digital technology can provide substantial benefits in terms of performance and reliability. However, the U.S. nuclear power industry has been slow to adopt the technology extensively in its instrumentation and control (I&C) applications because of inhibiting factors such as regulatory uncertainty, insufficient technological experience base, implementation complexity, limited availability of nuclear-qualified products and vendors, and inadequate definition of modernization cost recapture. Although there have been examples of digital technology usage in the nuclear power industry, challenges to the qualification of digital technology for high-integrity nuclear power plant (NPP) applications have severely constrained more widespread progress in achieving the benefits that are possible through the transition to digital. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) established the Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (ASI) technology area under the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) Program to coordinate the instrumentation and controls (I&C) research across DOE NE and to identify and lead efforts to address common needs. As part of the NEET ASI research program, the Digital Technology Qualification project was established. Under this project, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is leading the investigation into mitigation of digital common-cause failure (CCF) vulnerabilities for nuclear-qualified applications. This technical report documents updated and expanded findings from research activities by ORNL. Specifically, the report describes CCF experience in the nuclear and nonnuclear industries, identifies the state of the practice for CCF mitigation through key examples, and presents conclusions from the determination of knowledge gaps.

Universality in dynamic wetting dominated by contact-line friction.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Andreas; Bellani, Gabriele; Amberg, Gustav

2012-04-01

We report experiments on the rapid contact-line motion present in the early stages of capillary-driven spreading of drops on dry solid substrates. The spreading data fail to follow a conventional viscous or inertial scaling. By integrating experiments and simulations, we quantify a contact-line friction μ(f) which is seen to limit the speed of the rapid dynamic wetting. A scaling based on this contact-line friction is shown to yield a universal curve for the evolution of the contact-line radius as a function of time, for a range of fluid viscosities, drop sizes, and surface wettabilities.

Remote mechanical C line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuttall, K.R.; Gardner, P.R.

1991-01-01

Westinghouse Hanford Company is developing a desk-top simulation based training program on the operation of the Remote Mechanical C (RMC) Line process in the Plutonium Finishing Plant on the Hanford site, Richland, Washington. Simulations display aod contioually update current values of system parameters on computer graphics of RMC line equipment. Students are able to operate a variety of controllers to maintain proper system status. Programmed faults, selectable by the course instructor, can be used to test student responses to off-normal events. Prior to operation of the simulation, students are given computer-based tutorials on the function, processes, operation, and error conditions associated with individual components. By including the capability of operating each individual component - valves, heaters, agitators, etc. - the computer-based training (CBT) lessons become an interactive training manual. From one perspective RMC represents one step in the diffusion of the well-known and well-documented simulator training activities for nuclear reactor operators to other training programs, equally critical, perhaps, but less well scrutinized in the past. Because of the slowly responding nature of the actual process, RMC can retain many of the capabilities of practice and testing in a simulated work environment while avoiding the cost of a full scale simulator and the exposure and waste developed by practice runs of the RMC line. From another perspective RMC suggests training advances even beyond the most faithful simulators. For example, by integrating CBT lessons with the simulation, RMC permits students to focus in on specific processes occurring inside chosen components. In effect, the interactive training manual is available on-line with the simulation itself. Cost are also discussed

Poverty Lines in History, Theory, and Current International Practice

OpenAIRE

Robert Allen

2013-01-01

This paper compares historical poverty baskets to modern food security and poverty lines. Changes in the historical baskets and indexing methods are proposed to bring historical studies into better alignment with modern measures as well as with historically based estimates of energy requirements. In addition, it is argued that modern poverty measures could be improved by emulating the historical methods.

Trichloroethylene toxicity in a human hepatoma cell line

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thevenin, E.; McMillian, J. [Medical Univ. of Charleston South Carolina, SC (United States)

1994-12-31

The experiments conducted in this study were designed to determine the usefullness of hepatocyte cultures and a human hepatoma cell line as model systems for assessing human susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma due to exposure to trichloroethylene. The results from these studies will then be analyzed to determine if human cell lines can be used to conduct future experiments of this nature.

Surgeons' Emotional Experience of Their Everyday Practice - A Qualitative Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Massimiliano Orri

Full Text Available Physicians' emotions affect both patient care and personal well-being. Surgeons appear at particularly high risk, as evidenced by the high rate of burnout and the alarming consequences in both their personal lives and professional behavior. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the emotional experiences of surgeons and their impact on their surgical practice.27 purposively selected liver and pancreatic surgeons from 10 teaching hospitals (23 men, 4 women participated. Inclusion took place until data saturation was reached. Data were collected through individual interviews and thematically analyzed independently by 3 researchers (a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and a surgeon. 7 themes emerged from the analysis, categorized in 3 main or superordinate themes, which described surgeons' emotional experience before, during, and after surgery. Burdensome emotions are present throughout all 3 periods (and invade life outside the hospital-surgeons' own emotions, their perception of patients' emotions, and their entwinement. The interviewees described the range of emotional situations they face (with patients, families, colleagues, the influence of the institutional framework (time pressure and fatigue, cultural pressure to satisfy the ideal image of a surgeon, as well as the emotions they feel (including especially anxiety, fear, distress, guilt, and accountability.Emotions are ubiquitous in surgeons' experience, and their exposure to stress is chronic rather than acute. Considering emotions only in terms of their relations to operative errors (as previous studies have done is limiting. Although complications are quite rare events, the concern for possible complications is an oppressive experience, regardless of whether or not they actually occur.

[Digital radiography in young children. Considerations based on experiences in practice].

Science.gov (United States)

Berkhout, W E R; Mileman, P A; Weerheijm, K L

2004-10-01

In dentistry, digital radiology techniques, such as a charge-coupled device and a storage phosphor plate, are gaining popularity. It was the objective of this study to assess the importance of the advantages and disadvantages of digital radiology techniques for bitewing radiography in young children, when compared to conventional film. A group of dentists received a questionnaire regarding their experiences with digital radiology techniques or conventional films among young children. Using the Simple Multi-Attributive Rating Technique (SMART) a final weighted score was calculated for the charge-coupled device, the phosphor plate, and conventional film. The scores were 7.40, 7.38, and 6.98 respectively. The differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.47). It could be concluded that, on the basis of experiences in practice, there are no statistically significant preferences for the use of digital radioogy techniques for bitewing radiography in young children.

Nurses' experiences, expectations, and preferences for mind-body practices to reduce stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McCool Jane A

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Most research on the impact of mind-body training does not ask about participants' baseline experience, expectations, or preferences for training. To better plan participant-centered mind-body intervention trials for nurses to reduce occupational stress, such descriptive information would be valuable. Methods We conducted an anonymous email survey between April and June, 2010 of North American nurses interested in mind-body training to reduce stress. The e-survey included: demographic characteristics, health conditions and stress levels; experiences with mind-body practices; expected health benefits; training preferences; and willingness to participate in future randomized controlled trials. Results Of the 342 respondents, 96% were women and 92% were Caucasian. Most (73% reported one or more health conditions, notably anxiety (49%; back pain (41%; GI problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (34%; or depression (33%. Their median occupational stress level was 4 (0 = none; 5 = extreme stress. Nearly all (99% reported already using one or more mind-body practices to reduce stress: intercessory prayer (86%, breath-focused meditation (49%, healing or therapeutic touch (39%, yoga/tai chi/qi gong (34%, or mindfulness-based meditation (18%. The greatest expected benefits were for greater spiritual well-being (56%; serenity, calm, or inner peace (54%; better mood (51%; more compassion (50%; or better sleep (42%. Most (65% wanted additional training; convenience (74% essential or very important, was more important than the program's reputation (49% or scientific evidence about effectiveness (32% in program selection. Most (65% were willing to participate in a randomized trial of mind-body training; among these, most were willing to collect salivary cortisol (60%, or serum biomarkers (53% to assess the impact of training. Conclusions Most nurses interested in mind-body training already engage in such practices. They have greater

Developing and Sustaining Recovery-Orientation in Mental Health Practice: Experiences of Occupational Therapists.

Science.gov (United States)

Nugent, Alexandra; Hancock, Nicola; Honey, Anne

2017-01-01

Internationally, mental health policy requires clinicians to shift from a medical to a recovery-oriented approach. However, there is a significant lag in the translation of policy into practice. Occupational therapists have been identified as ideally situated to be recovery-oriented yet limited research exploring how they do this exists. This study aimed to explore Australian occupational therapists' experiences of developing and sustaining recovery-orientation in mental health practice. Semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with twelve occupational therapists working across different mental health service types. Participants identified themselves as being recovery-oriented. Data were analysed using constant comparative analysis. Occupational therapists described recovery-oriented practice as an active, ongoing, and intentional process of seeking out knowledge, finding fit between understandings of recovery-oriented practice and their professional identity, holding hope, and developing confidence through clinical reasoning. Human and systemic aspects of therapists' workplace environment influenced this process. Being a recovery-oriented occupational therapist requires more than merely accepting a specific framework. It requires commitment and ongoing work to develop and sustain recovery-orientation. Occupational therapists are called to extend current leadership activity beyond their workplace and to advocate for broader systemic change.

Practical experience in the application of quality control in water-reactor fuel fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vollath, D.

1984-07-01

Highly industrialized countries have gained vast experience in manufacturing water reactor fuel. Manufacturing is followed by a stringent system of quality assurance and quality control. The Seminar on Practical Experience in the Application of Quality Control in Water-Reactor Fuel Fabrication provided a forum for an exchange of information on methods and systems of quality assurance and quality control for reactor fuel. In addition, many developing countries which have started or intend to set up a nuclear fuel industry are interested in the application of quality assurance and quality control. This meeting has been preceded by two different series of conferences: the IAEA meetings 1976 in Oslo, 1978 in Prague and 1979 in Buenos Aires, and the Karlsruhe meetings on Characterization and Quality Control of Nuclear Fuel held in 1978 and 1981. Quality control and quality assurance has many different facets. Unlike the purely technical aspects, covered by the Karlsruhe conference series, the IAEA meetings always relate to a wider field of topics. They include governmental regulations and codes for practical quality assurance. This volume contains the papers presented at the seminar and a record of the discussions. (orig.)

Merger and Acquisition Market: from World Experience to National Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hrechana Svitlana I.

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The goal of the article lies in identification of tendencies and prospects of development of the merger and acquisition market of Ukraine in the context of influence of the world M and A experience upon this process under conditions of globalisation. In the result of the study the article analyses the most significant merger and acquisition operations that took place in the world practice and in Ukraine in recent years. The article reveals and deeply assesses the variety of motives and mechanisms of their realisation from the position of practice of developed countries and trans-national corporations and also domestic associations of enterprises. It shows that transactions of tough or forced character of acquisition prevail in Ukraine, specific features of which are not only the reduced cost but also direct belonging of buyers to oligarchic-political structures. It explains negative influence of these specific features upon volume and activity of the national M and A market. It formulates and offers a system of state and economic subjects measures, immediate application of which would allow creation of favourable conditions for development of the national merger and acquisition market.

A practice analysis of toxicology.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Carol S; Weis, Christopher P; Caro, Carla M; Roe, Amy

2016-12-01

In 2015, the American Board of Toxicology (ABT), with collaboration from the Society of Toxicology (SOT), in consultation with Professional Examination Service, performed a practice analysis study of the knowledge required for general toxicology. The purpose of this study is to help assure that the examination and requirements for attainment of Diplomate status are relevant to modern toxicology and based upon an empirical foundation of knowledge. A profile of the domains and tasks used in toxicology practice was developed by subject-matter experts representing a broad range of experiences and perspectives. An on-line survey of toxicologists, including Diplomates of the ABT and SOT members, confirmed the delineation. Results of the study can be used to improve understanding of toxicology practice, to better serve all toxicologists, and to present the role of toxicologists to those outside the profession. Survey results may also be used by the ABT Board of Directors to develop test specifications for the certifying examination and will be useful for evaluating and updating the content of professional preparation, development, and continuing education programs. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Field experience with advanced methods of on-line monitoring of water chemistry and corrosion degradation in nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stellwag, B.; Aaltonen, P.; Hickling, J.

1997-01-01

Advanced methods for on-line, in-situ water chemistry and corrosion monitoring in nuclear power stations have been developed during the past decade. The terms ''on-line'' and ''in-situ'' characterize approaches involving continuous measurement of relevant parameters in high temperature water, preferably directly in the systems and components and not in removed samples at room temperature. This paper describes the field experience to-date with such methods in terms of three examples: (1) On-line chemistry monitoring of the primary coolant during shutdown of a Type WWER-440 PWR. (2) Redox and corrosion potential measurements in final feedwater preheaters and steam generators of two large KWU PWRs over several cycles of plant operation. (3) Real-time, in-situ corrosion surveillance inside the calundia vault of a CANDU reactor. The way in which water chemistry sensors and corrosion monitoring sensors complement each other is outlined: on-line, in-situ measurement of pH, conductivity and redox potential gives information about the possible corrosivity of the environment. Electrochemical noise techniques display signals of corrosion activity under the actual environmental conditions. A common experience gained from separate use of these different types of sensors has been that new and additional information about plants and their actual process conditions is obtained. Moreover, they reveal the intimate relationship between the operational situation and its consequences for the quality of the working fluid and the corrosion behaviour of the plant materials. On this basis, the efficiency of the existing chemistry sampling and control system can be checked and corrosion degradation can be minimized. Furthermore, activity buildup in the primary circuit can be studied. Further significant advantages can be expected from an integration of these various types of sensors into a common water chemistry and corrosion surveillance system. For confirmation, a complete set of sensors

Deep Brain Stimulation Salvages a Flourishing Dental Practice: A Dentist with Essential Tremor Recounts his Experience

OpenAIRE

Giacopuzzi, Guy; Lising, Melanie; Halpern, Casey H

2016-01-01

In recounting his experience with deep brain stimulation (DBS), a practicing dentist challenged with long-standing bilateral essential tremor of the hands?shares insights into his diagnosis, treatments, and ultimately successful DBS surgery at Stanford University Medical Center, CA, USA. Now nearly one year after his surgery, his practice continues to flourish and he encourages others in his profession to consider the possibility of DBS as a definitive?treatment for tremors of the hand, which...

Development of Flexible Software Process Lines with Variability Operations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dohrmann, Patrick; Schramm, Joachim; Kuhrmann, Marco

2016-01-01

the development of flexible software process lines. Method: We conducted a longitudinal study in which we studied 5 variants of the V-Modell XT process line for 2 years. Results: Our results show the variability operation instrument feasible in practice. We analyzed 616 operation exemplars addressing various...

"A little information excites us." Consumer sensory experience of Vermont artisan cheese as active practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Lahne, Jacob; Trubek, Amy B

2014-07-01

This research is concerned with explaining consumer preference for Vermont artisan cheese and the relationship between that preference and sensory experience. Artisan cheesemaking is increasingly an important part of Vermont's dairy sector, and this tracks a growing trend of artisan agricultural practice in the United States. In popular discourse and academic research into products like artisan cheese, consumers explain their preferences in terms of intrinsic sensory and extrinsic - supposedly nonsensory - food qualities. In laboratory sensory studies, however, the relationship between preference, intrinsic, and extrinsic qualities changes or disappears. In contrast, this study explains this relationship by adopting a social theory of sensory perception as a practice in everyday life. This theory is applied to a series of focus group interviews with Vermont artisan cheese consumers about their everyday perceptions. Based on the data, a conceptual framework for the sensory perception of Vermont artisan cheese is suggested: consumers combine information about producer practice, social context, and the materiality of the product through an active, learned practice of sensory perception. Particular qualities that drive consumer sensory experience and preference are identified from the interview data. Many of these qualities are difficult to categorize as entirely intrinsic or extrinsic, highlighting the need for developing new approaches of sensory evaluation in order to fully capture everyday consumer sensory perception. Thus, this research demonstrates that social theory provides new and valuable insights into consumer sensory preference for Vermont artisan cheese. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

User Experience in Mobile Augmented Reality: Emotions, Challenges, Opportunities and Best Practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Dirin

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR is gaining a strong momentum to become a major interactive technology that can be applied across domains and purposes. The rapid proliferation of MAR applications in global mobile application markets has been fueled by a range of freely-available MAR software development kits and content development tools, some of which enable the creation of MAR applications even without programming skills. Despite the recent advances of MAR technology and tools, there are still many challenges associated with MAR from the User Experience (UX design perspective. In this study, we first define UX as the emotions that the user encounters while using a service, a product or an application and then explore the recent research on the topic. We present two case studies, a commercial MAR experience and our own Virtual Campus Tour MAR application, and evaluate them from the UX perspective, with a focus on emotions. Next, we synthesize the findings from previous research and the results of the case study evaluations to form sets of challenges, opportunities and best practices related to UX design of MAR applications. Based on the identified best practices, we finally present an updated version of the Virtual Campus Tour. The results can be used for improving UX design of future MAR applications, thus making them emotionally engaging.

The notion of the motion: the neurocognition of motion lines in visual narratives.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohn, Neil; Maher, Stephen

2015-03-19

Motion lines appear ubiquitously in graphic representation to depict the path of a moving object, most popularly in comics. Some researchers have argued that these graphic signs directly tie to the "streaks" appearing in the visual system when a viewer tracks an object (Burr, 2000), despite the fact that previous studies have been limited to offline measurements. Here, we directly examine the cognition of motion lines by comparing images in comic strips that depicted normal motion lines with those that either had no lines or anomalous, reversed lines. In Experiment 1, shorter viewing times appeared to images with normal lines than those with no lines, which were shorter than those with anomalous lines. In Experiment 2, measurements of event-related potentials (ERPs) showed that, compared to normal lines, panels with no lines elicited a posterior positivity that was distinct from the frontal positivity evoked by anomalous lines. These results suggested that motion lines aid in the comprehension of depicted events. LORETA source localization implicated greater activation of visual and language areas when understanding was made more difficult by anomalous lines. Furthermore, in both experiments, participants' experience reading comics modulated these effects, suggesting motion lines are not tied to aspects of the visual system, but rather are conventionalized parts of the "vocabulary" of the visual language of comics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exploring factors related to the translation of collaborative research learning experiences into clinical practice: Opportunities and tensions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, Simon; Whiting, Cheryl; Boaz, Annette; Reeves, Scott

2017-07-01

Providing training opportunities to develop research skills for clinical staff has been prioritised in response to the need for improving the evidence base underpinning the delivery of care. By exploring the experiences of a number of former participants of a multidisciplinary postgraduate research course, this article explores the factors that have enabled and impeded staff to translate their learnt research skills into clinical practice. Adopting an exploratory case study approach, 16 interviews with 5 cohorts of Masters by Research in Clinical Practice (MResCP) graduates were undertaken. The interviews explored graduates' course experiences and their subsequent attempts to undertake clinical research. Analysis of the data indicated that although participants valued their interactions with colleagues from different professions and felt they gained useful research skills/knowledge, upon returning to clinical practice, they encountered a number of barriers which restricted their ability to apply their research expertise. Professional isolation, issues of hierarchy, and a lack of organisational support were key to limiting their ability to undertake clinical research. Further work is needed to explore in more depth how (i) these barriers can be overcome and (ii) how taught collaborative research skills can be more effectively translated into practice.

From Theory to Practice: One Agency's Experience with Implementing an Evidence-Based Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Maureen; Culver, Tom; Farmer, Betsy; Jackson, Leslie Ann; Rixon, Brian

2014-07-01

As evidence-based practice is becoming integrated into children's mental health services as a means of improving outcomes for children and youth with severe behavioral and emotional problems, therapeutic foster care (TFC) which is a specialized treatment program for such youth, is one of few community-based programs considered to be evidence-based. "Together Facing the Challenge" (TFTC) which was developed as a component of a randomized trial of TFC has been identified as an evidence-based model. We describe the experiences reported by one of the agencies that participated in our study and how they have incorporated TFTC into their on-going practice. They highlight key implementation strategies, challenges faced, and lessons learned as they moved forward towards full implementation of TFTC throughout their agency.

Nurses experience of using scientific knowledge in clinical practice: a grounded theory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Renolen, Åste; Hjälmhult, Esther

2015-12-01

Guidelines recommend the use of evidence-based practice in nursing. Nurses are expected to give patients care and treatment based on the best knowledge available. They may have knowledge and positive attitudes, but this does not mean that they are basing their work on evidence-based practice. Knowledge is still lacking about what is needed to successfully implement evidence-based practice. The aim of this study was to gain more knowledge about what nurses perceive as the most important challenge in implementing evidence-based practice and to explain how they act to face and overcome this challenge. We used classical grounded theory methodology and collected data through four focus groups and one individual interview in different geographical locations in one large hospital trust in Norway. Fourteen registered clinical practice nurses participated. We analysed the data in accordance with grounded theory, using the constant comparative method. Contextual balancing of knowledge emerged as the core category and explains how the nurses dealt with their main concern, how to determine what types of knowledge they could trust. The nurses' main strategies were an inquiring approach, examining knowledge and maintaining control while taking care of patients. They combined their own experienced-based knowledge and the guidelines of evidence-based practice with a sense of control in the actual situation. The grounded theory contextual balancing of knowledge may help us to understand how nurses detect what types of knowledge they can trust in clinical practice. The nurses needed to rely on what they did, and they seemed to rely on their own experience rather than on research. © 2015 Nordic College of Caring Science.

A Role-Playing Game for a Software Engineering Lab: Developing a Product Line

Science.gov (United States)

Zuppiroli, Sara; Ciancarini, Paolo; Gabbrielli, Maurizio

2012-01-01

Software product line development refers to software engineering practices and techniques for creating families of similar software systems from a basic set of reusable components, called shared assets. Teaching how to deal with software product lines in a university lab course is a challenging task, because there are several practical issues that…

Optoelectronic line transmission an introduction to fibre optics

CERN Document Server

Tricker, Raymond L

2013-01-01

Optoelectronic Line Transmission: An Introduction to Fibre Optics presents a basic introduction as well as a background reference manual on fiber optic transmission. The book discusses the basic principles of optical line transmission; the advantages and disadvantages of optical fibers and optoelectronic signalling; the practical applications of optoelectronics; and the future of optoelectronics. The text also describes the theories of optical line transmission; fibers and cables for optical transmission; transmitters including light-emitting diodes and lasers; and receivers including photodi

Practicing governance towards equity in health systems: LMIC perspectives and experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilson, Lucy; Lehmann, Uta; Schneider, Helen

2017-09-15

The unifying theme of the papers in this series is a concern for understanding the everyday practice of governance in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) health systems. Rather than seeing governance as a normative health system goal addressed through the architecture and design of accountability and regulatory frameworks, these papers provide insights into the real-world decision-making of health policy and system actors. Their multiple, routine decisions translate policy intentions into practice - and are filtered through relationships, underpinned by values and norms, influenced by organizational structures and resources, and embedded in historical and socio-political contexts. These decisions are also political acts - in that they influence who accesses benefits and whose voices are heard in decision-making, reinforcing or challenging existing institutional exclusion and power inequalities. In other words, the everyday practice of governance has direct impacts on health system equity.The papers in the series address governance through diverse health policy and system issues, consider actors located at multiple levels of the system and draw on multi-disciplinary perspectives. They present detailed examination of experiences in a range of African and Indian settings, led by authors who live and work in these settings. The overall purpose of the papers in this series is thus to provide an empirical and embedded research perspective on governance and equity in health systems.

Line integral on engineering mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Wiryanto, L. H.

2018-01-01

Definite integral is a basic material in studying mathematics. At the level of calculus, calculating of definite integral is based on fundamental theorem of calculus, related to anti-derivative, as the inverse operation of derivative. At the higher level such as engineering mathematics, the definite integral is used as one of the calculating tools of line integral. the purpose of this is to identify if there is a question related to line integral, we can use definite integral as one of the calculating experience. The conclusion of this research says that the teaching experience in introducing the relation between both integrals through the engineer way of thinking can motivate and improve students in understanding the material.

Clinical Engineering: Experiences of assisted professional practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langone, Luis; Vanetta, Marcos; Vazquez, Marcelo; Rotger, Viviana I; Olivera, Juan Manuel

2007-01-01

In the curricula of the Biomedical Engineering career of the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y TecnologIa of the Universidad Nacional de Tucuman, Argenitna, there are the Assisted Professional Practices. Within this framework, the students have the possibility of performing practices in the clinic Sanatorio 9 de Julio. One of the objectives of these practices is to apply the concepts, methods and procedures studied along the career in the field work under real work conditions. From the point of view of the host institution, the objective is to improve the performance of the different services and areas applying the tools of Biomedical Engineering. The present work shows an example of such practices where an equipment preliminary analysis was made, its use and maintenance corresponding to the surgical unit of the clinic

Facilitation of the ESSEA On-Line Course for Middle School Teachers: A Key to Retention and Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Slattery, W.

2001-12-01

There are fundamental differences between an on-line course and a traditional face to face classroom course offering. On-line courses are front-loaded, that is, students taking on-line courses first have to navigate an unfamiliar website as they become familiar with the organization of the course. In addition, students in an on-line course in many cases have the stress of having to relate with an instructor and collaborate with colleagues that they may never meet. Many may be unfamiliar with the use of telecommunications technology. These forces can combine to produce students that become disillusioned with the on-line learning process, and consequently drop the course. The stress associated with an on-line course can be significantly reduced by the methods used by the facilitator of the course. Therefore, facilitation of an on-line course can be a key to student retention in on-line courses, and strengthen learning experiences for all students. The Earth System Science Education Alliance on-line course for practicing middle school teachers begins with a three week non-graded module designed to permit the facilitator and students to introduce themselves, provides opportunities to participants to explore the website, and allows participants to practice working with each other to develop Earth systems interactions. These group products are evaluated by the facilitator, and returned with detailed comments to the participants. Once graded work begins during the fourth week of the on-line course, it is guided by rubrics that assign higher value to products that contain multiple examples of supporting evidence of scientific assertions, are accurate, and express depth of reasoning. The facilitator guides participant learning through group threaded discussions, providing feedback for individual journal entries, and on-line comments and suggestions regarding classroom activities developed by the participants. Post-course evaluations suggest that K-12 teacher participants in

Experiences and guidelines for footcare practices of patients witli diabetes mellitus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Matwa

2003-03-01

Full Text Available The former Transkei is a predominantly rural region of the Eastern Cape Province. The poor infrastructure in this area results in inaccessibility of the available health services. The majority is ill equipped to deliver optimum diabetes care. There is an increase of lower limb amputations and lack of knowledge among patients with diabetes mellitus in the former Transkei. These complications can be prevented by patient education on self-management and appropriate footcare procedures. This qualitative study was conducted to explore and describe the experiences and footcare practices of diabetic patients who live in the rural areas of Transkei.

First line management in the public sector

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Voxted, Søren

The paper will examines and discusses the results from a structured observational study, wherein 50 first-line managers from the public sector in Denmark in five areas of employment where observed. These observational studies are a key contribution in the ‘greenhouse for management’ project...... in first-line managers’ practice. Answering this question helps to illustrate and understand the degree of professionalism in terms of managers' usage of time....

DOE-EPRI On-Line Monitoring Implementation Guidelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

E. Davis, R. Bickford

2003-01-01

Industry and EPRI experience at several plants has shown on-line monitoring to be very effective in identifying out-of-calibration instrument channels or indications of equipment-degradation problems. The EPRI implementation project for on-line monitoring has demonstrated the feasibility of on-line monitoring at several participating nuclear plants. The results have been very encouraging, and substantial progress is anticipated in the coming years

Study on Scattered Data Points Interpolation Method Based on Multi-line Structured Light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, J Y; Wang, F G; W, Y; Zhang, Y L

2006-01-01

Aiming at the range image obtained through multi-line structured light, a regional interpolation method is put forward in this paper. This method divides interpolation into two parts according to the memory format of the scattered data, one is interpolation of the data on the stripes, and the other is interpolation of data between the stripes. Trend interpolation method is applied to the data on the stripes, and Gauss wavelet interpolation method is applied to the data between the stripes. Experiments prove regional interpolation method feasible and practical, and it also promotes the speed and precision

Status of ACCULINNA beam line

CERN Document Server

Rodin, A M; Bogdanov, D D; Golovkov, M S; Fomichev, A S; Sidorchuk, S I; Slepnev, R S; Wolski, R; Ter-Akopian, G M; Oganessian, Yu T; Yukhimchuk, A A; Perevozchikov, V V; Vinogradov, Yu I; Grishenchkin, S K; Demin, A M; Zlatoustovskii, S V; Kuryakin, A V; Filchagin, S V; Ilkaev, R I

2003-01-01

The separator ACCULINNA was upgraded to achieve new experimental requirements. The beam line was extended by new ion-optical elements beyond the cyclotron hall. The new arrangements yield much better background conditions. The intensities of sup 6 He and sup 8 He radioactive beams produced in fragmentation of 35 A MeV sup 1 sup 1 B ions were increased up to a factor of 10. The upgraded beam line was used in experiments to study the sup 5 H resonance states populated in the t+t reaction. A cryogenic liquid tritium target was designed and installed at the separator beam line.

Advanced Practice Nursing in Pediatric Urology: experience report in the Federal District.

Science.gov (United States)

Souza, Bruna Marcela Lima de; Salviano, Cristiane Feitosa; Martins, Gisele

2018-01-01

To describe the creation and implementation of the extension program Advanced Practice Nursing in Pediatric Urology, developed in the outpatient clinic of a teaching hospital in the Federal District. This is an experience report regarding the implementation of an outpatient service aimed at children and adolescents with symptoms of bladder and bowel dysfunction. Because it is an extension program linked to the university, it follows a different model of care, valuing empowerment, informed and shared decision making, which results in a stronger bond between patients, family and the Pediatric Urology nursing team. It has also become a privileged space for the production and use of scientific knowledge, associated with the principles of evidence-based practice. This project shows a different performance of the nurse-specialist-professor-researcher in Pediatric Urology Nursing, and it has become a reference in the Federal District, mainly for undergraduate and graduate nursing students.

Management of patients with epistaxis by general practitioners: impact of otolaryngology experience on their practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tassone, Peter; Georgalas, Christos; Appleby, Esther; Kotecha, Bhik

2006-01-01

This study aims to assess the management of patients with epistaxis by general practitioners (GPs) and to show whether previous experience as a junior doctor in ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery influences their practice. A questionnaire was sent together with self-addressed reply envelopes to a

Modification of beam lines at VEC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shoor, Bivas; Chakraborty, P S; Mallik, C; Bhandari, R K [Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Calcutta (India)

1997-12-01

From the experience of light ion beam transportation through the Variable Energy Cyclotron beam line, it was observed that the beam line performance has to be improved in view of heavy ion acceleration program at the centre. The aim of this work was to study the feasibility of reducing the number of operational parameters without hampering the beam transmission and at the same time, to improve the vacuum of the beam line by reducing the hardware 2 refs., 1 fig.

Expanded activity of schools in Serbia: Legal framework and practical experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ognjenović Kosovka Đ.

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Expanded activities of schools and activities of student cooperatives are important components of the educational process in schools, which are contributing to the improvement of the quality of education and better social inclusion of students. The main objective of this article is to focus on opportunities enabled by the legal framework that supports the realization of expanded activities and activities of student cooperatives in Serbian schools and to compare relevant experiences in Serbia with the practice in neighbouring countries and the old EU Member States. In particular, in this article it is examined to what extent the adoption of entrepreneurial competences through different entrepreneurship development programs contributes to the probability of implementation of additional activities in Serbian schools. For this purpose, the data of the Survey on practising, types and usefulness of expanded activities and activities of student cooperatives are used. This survey was conducted in 2010 at the samples of public primary and secondary schools that executed some sort of additional activities, as well as of schools that did not practice extended activities.

Experiences of undergraduate nursing students in peer assisted learning in clinical practice: a qualitative systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Matthew C; Kent, Bridie; Latour, Jos M

2018-05-01

The objective of this qualitative systematic review was to identify and synthesize the best available evidence on experiences of peer assisted learning (PAL) among student nurses in clinical practice so as to understand the value of PAL for this population. Peer-assisted learning considers the benefits of peers working in collaboration and supporting each other in professional roles. This approach to facilitate learning is effective within universities, but there is limited exploration within the clinical practice environment. Within the UK, 50% of student nurses' learning is undertaken within clinical practice, providing a large portion of student allocation within these areas, but is unexplored in relation to PAL. Therefore, existing evidence examining PAL in clinical practice needs further exploration for a better understanding of its value to student nurses' learning. The systematic review considered studies that included male and female nursing students aged 18-50 years that explored undergraduate nursing students' experiences of PAL within the clinical practice environment. Studies that utilized designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, action research and feminist research were considered. Other text such as opinion papers and reports were to be considered if no qualitative studies could be located. The review excluded quantitative studies, as well as those addressing PAL outside the nursing profession and students within the nursing profession but not including undergraduate student nurses. This review considered studies that included aspects related to experiences of PAL in the clinical practice setting, as seen by undergraduate nursing students and the researcher. A three-step search strategy was undertaken to find both published and unpublished studies in English from 2003 to 2017 in various databases, and included searching of reference lists within articles selected for appraisal. Each of the included studies were assessed for

A transdisciplinary approach to developing a web-based nursing experiential log system for advanced practice nursing clinical experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Olson, Brandon D; Fauchald, Sally K

2011-11-01

This article describes a transdisciplinary project between the computer information systems department and the graduate nursing department of a higher education institution. The project is the planning, development, and implementation of a Web-based nursing experiential log system for advanced practice nursing clinical experiences, which was funded by a Nursing Education Practice and Retention grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. The article explains the concept and benefits of the transdisciplinary nature of the project. The design team, project leadership, and roles within the team are reviewed, including the role of end-user faculty in the design process. The article describes the focus and scope of the Web-based experiential log system database that is used to document and track advanced practice nursing student clinical experiences, as well as a summary of the design process used to develop the log system and the specific functionality of the database system. The implementation process, including end-user training, pilot implementation, and modifications, lessons learned, and future directions of the project are addressed. The article concludes with the benefits to the clinical experience and graduate nursing program that have been noted since the implementation of the system.

Developing and Sustaining Recovery-Orientation in Mental Health Practice: Experiences of Occupational Therapists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra Nugent

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim. Internationally, mental health policy requires clinicians to shift from a medical to a recovery-oriented approach. However, there is a significant lag in the translation of policy into practice. Occupational therapists have been identified as ideally situated to be recovery-oriented yet limited research exploring how they do this exists. This study aimed to explore Australian occupational therapists’ experiences of developing and sustaining recovery-orientation in mental health practice. Methods. Semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with twelve occupational therapists working across different mental health service types. Participants identified themselves as being recovery-oriented. Data were analysed using constant comparative analysis. Results. Occupational therapists described recovery-oriented practice as an active, ongoing, and intentional process of seeking out knowledge, finding fit between understandings of recovery-oriented practice and their professional identity, holding hope, and developing confidence through clinical reasoning. Human and systemic aspects of therapists’ workplace environment influenced this process. Conclusions. Being a recovery-oriented occupational therapist requires more than merely accepting a specific framework. It requires commitment and ongoing work to develop and sustain recovery-orientation. Occupational therapists are called to extend current leadership activity beyond their workplace and to advocate for broader systemic change.

Ergonomics Risk Assessment with Participation of Supervisors in Production Line: a Successful Experience in Pars Khodro Company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adel Mazloumi

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Background & Objectives: According to previous researches, workers' participation in issues affecting their working condition is the key to success in ergonomics interventions in working environments. Therefore, the present study was performed to increase active particapitation of supervisors in production line and also to identify and assess ergonomics risks and presenting modification actions (Kaizen by themselves in Pars Khodro automobile manufacturing company. Methods: A manual regarding lifting objects and body postures, according to the Finish evaluation method, was provided for supervisors in production line and related trainings were presented to them. Then, they were asked to insert the results of their assessments and suggestions in special forms during one year. The presented assessments and suggestions were examined by ergonomics experts. Results: According to the assessments conducted by supervisors, 26 work stations had high ergonomics risks, 51 had ergonomics risks with an average level, and 45 had low ergonomics risks. Moreover, the number of required Kaizens presented by supervisors was increased from 18 cases in the first year to 42 cases in the second year, after implementation of ergonomics training and identifying and assessing ergonomic risks by supervisors. Conclusion: Empowering and training supervisors increased workers' participation. In case of adequate training, supervisors can present practical solutions to reduce ergonomics risks in their workstations.

Buffers or Boosters? The Role of HRM Practices in Older Workers' Experience of Stereotype Threat.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Eduardo André da Silva; Cabral-Cardoso, Carlos José

2018-01-02

Building on the social identity approach and the HRM literature, this two-wave cross-sectional study examined the effects of negative age-based metastereotypes on the age-based stereotype threat experience of older workers and on organizational disidentification. The moderator role of HRM practices in the relationship between negative age-based metastereotypes and age-based stereotype threat was also investigated. Older workers survey results (n = 469) from 14 manufacturing companies indicated that negative age-based metastereotypes correlate positively with stereotype threat. Moderation results showed that age-awareness HRM practices (training for older workers) reinforced age-based stereotype threat, whereas general HRM practices (recognition and respect) impaired it. The article suggests that the combination of age-based metastereotypes with a stereotype threat framework contributes to further understand older workers' beliefs and attitudes. It also indicates that to be effective, HRM practices should emphasize positive social identities older workers share with their colleagues, rather than giving older workers special treatment that may, after all, reinforce stigmatization.

Implementation of Software Configuration Management Process by Models: Practical Experiments and Learned Lessons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bartusevics Arturs

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays software configuration management process is not only dilemma which system should be used for version control or how to merge changes from one source code branch to other. There are multiple tasks such as version control, build management, deploy management, status accounting, bug tracking and many others that should be solved to support full configuration management process according to most popular quality standards. The main scope of the mentioned process is to include only valid and tested software items to final version of product and prepare a new version as soon as possible. To implement different tasks of software configuration management process, a set of different tools, scripts and utilities should be used. The current paper provides a new model-based approach to implementation of configuration management. Using different models, a new approach helps to organize existing solutions and develop new ones by a parameterized way, thus increasing reuse of solutions. The study provides a general description of new model-based conception and definitions of all models needed to implement a new approach. The second part of the paper contains an overview of criteria, practical experiments and lessons learned from using new models in software configuration management. Finally, further works are defined based on results of practical experiments and lessons learned.

Practical experiences of, and lessons learnt from, Internet technologies in higher education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Polovina

1999-01-01

Full Text Available The paper addresses how the Internet as computer-mediated communication is affecting teaching and learning in higher education institutions, particularly as these institutions face increasing competition due to the emergence of Web-based collaboration and assessment technologies. London’s South Bank University (SBU, a typical modern-day higher education institution is thereby in the process of integrating Internet technologies into its conventional and distance learning programmes. From its practical experiences so far SBU has learnt a variety of valuable lessons. In particular the technical and social aspects that determine the choice and use of the most appropriate software tools were identified, as well as a new approach towards online (Internet / Web subject reference sources was outlined. From SBU’s anecdotal experiences, useful recommendations are made for the effective use of Internet technologies that applies to many higher educational institutions.

Why do People Stop Playing On-Line Games?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sudzina, Frantisek; Razmerita, Liana

2012-01-01

The recent initial public offering of shares of Zynga, probably the most important on-line game provider, drew interest of potential investors but also of general public to their business model. What the most interested people learned so far is that if Zynga had not changed their accounting...... practice, they would be in red numbers for several months already. This is most likely caused by people stopping to play their games. This paper provides an estimate of what proportion of people, who played on-line games, already stopped playing them. Additionally, it analyzed the reasons why people...... stopped playing on-line games. It also compares Facebook and other on-line games....

The experiences of newly graduated nurses during their first year of practice in the Sultanate of Oman - A case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Al Awaisi, Huda; Cooke, Hannah; Pryjmachuk, Steven

2015-11-01

Studies have demonstrated that the transition experience of new graduate nurses is complex and frequently negative, leading to dissatisfaction with nursing and increased attrition. Existing studies of new graduate nurses' transition experiences tend to be concerned with the experiences of new graduate nurses in the West. To date, no study has been conducted examining the transition experience in any Middle Eastern country where the cultural context surrounding nursing education and practice is different. To explore the experiences of new graduate nurses during their transition period in the Sultanate of Oman. A qualitative case study utilising an embedded single case design was conducted to investigate the transition experience of new nursing graduates from one university in the Sultanate of Oman. Data were collected from the perspective of new graduate nurses and also from the perspective of other key informants who are key organisational actors such as clinical instructors, managers and preceptors. As is characteristic of case study design, this study employed triangulated methods including individual and focus group interviews, observation and documentary analysis. Data collected were thematically analysed using Microsoft Access. This study showed that nursing is not an attractive choice for Omani students to study and pursue as a future career. During the transition period, new graduate nurses experienced reality shock resulting mainly from a theory-practice gap. They found themselves with limited practical experience but a high level of theoretical knowledge that was difficult to utilise in practice. They experienced many competing priorities in their working environment which resulted in task-orientation and compromised patient care. Many new graduate nurses resented their involvement in basic nursing care, which they believed should not be part of their role as degree nurses. Omani new graduate nurses' transition experiences are complex and highly affected

Report on the Second Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE2)

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Daniel S.; Choi, Sou-Cheng T.; Wilkins-Diehr, Nancy; Chue Hong, Neil; Venters, Colin C.; Howison, James; Seinstra, Frank; Jones, Matthew; Cranston, Karen; Clune, Thomas L.; de Val-Borro, Miguel; Littauer, Richard

2016-02-01

This technical report records and discusses the Second Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE2). The report includes a description of the alternative, experimental submission and review process, two workshop keynote presentations, a series of lightning talks, a discussion on sustainability, and five discussions from the topic areas of exploring sustainability; software development experiences; credit & incentives; reproducibility & reuse & sharing; and code testing & code review. For each topic, the report includes a list of tangible actions that were proposed and that would lead to potential change. The workshop recognized that reliance on scientific software is pervasive in all areas of world-leading research today. The workshop participants then proceeded to explore different perspectives on the concept of sustainability. Key enablers and barriers of sustainable scientific software were identified from their experiences. In addition, recommendations with new requirements such as software credit files and software prize frameworks were outlined for improving practices in sustainable software engineering. There was also broad consensus that formal training in software development or engineering was rare among the practitioners. Significant strides need to be made in building a sense of community via training in software and technical practices, on increasing their size and scope, and on better integrating them directly into graduate education programs. Finally, journals can define and publish policies to improve reproducibility, whereas reviewers can insist that authors provide sufficient information and access to data and software to allow them reproduce the results in the paper. Hence a list of criteria is compiled for journals to provide to reviewers so as to make it easier to review software submitted for publication as a "Software Paper."

Desenvolvimento do curso de gerenciamento em enfermagem on-line: experiência exitosa entre Brasil e Portugal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daisy Maria Rizatto Tronchin

2015-12-01

Full Text Available RESUMO Objetivo Descrever a experiência no planejamento e desenvolvimento de um Curso de Atualização On-Line em Gerenciamento em Enfermagem destinado a enfermeiros nos contextos Brasil e Portugal. Método O desenho instrucional do Curso fundamentou-se na Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa, na Andragogia e na Metodologia Dialética, valorizando a interação entre os atores e privilegiando os cenários de prática e a aplicação dos conceitos abordados. Resultados O Curso está estruturado em nove unidades teóricas, quatro estudos de caso e prova dissertativa. Foi avaliado positivamente pelos participantes, os quais referiram oportunidades de aquisição de novos conhecimentos; interação e intercâmbio de experiência; motivação em estudar os temas e autoaprendizagem. Conclusão Espera-se que a experiência descrita estimule a proposição de novos cursos e programas na modalidade de Educação a Distância, incrementando os processos de ensino e de aprendizagem para subsidiar análises futuras do seu impacto no desenvolvimento e no aprimoramento de competências gerenciais em enfermagem.

How do general practice registrars learn from their clinical experience? A critical incident study.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmwood, C

1997-01-01

This preliminary study of RACGP registrars in the period of subsequent general practice experience examines the types of clinical experiences from which registrars learn, what they learn from the experiences and the process of learning from such experiences. A critical incident method was used on a semi structured interview process. Registrars were asked to recall clinical incidents where they had learnt something of importance. Data were sorted and categorised manually. Nine registrars were interviewed before new categories of data ceased to develop. Registrars learnt from the opportunity to follow up patients. An emotional response to the interaction was an important part of the learning process. Learning from such experiences is haphazard and unstructured. Registrars accessed human resources in response to their clinical difficulties rather than text or electronic based information sources. Registrars should be aware of their emotional responses to interactions with patients; these emotional responses often indicate important learning opportunities. Clinical interactions and resultant learning could be made less haphazard by structuring consultations with patients with specific problems. These learning opportunities should be augmented by the promotion of follow up of patients.

Use of Simulation Learning Experiences in Physical Therapy Entry-to-Practice Curricula: A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

Carnahan, Heather; Herold, Jodi

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Purpose: To review the literature on simulation-based learning experiences and to examine their potential to have a positive impact on physiotherapy (PT) learners' knowledge, skills, and attitudes in entry-to-practice curricula. Method: A systematic literature search was conducted in the MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase Classic+Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, using keywords such as physical therapy, simulation, education, and students. Results: A total of 820 abstracts were screened, and 23 articles were included in the systematic review. While there were few randomized controlled trials with validated outcome measures, some discoveries about simulation can positively affect the design of the PT entry-to-practice curricula. Using simulators to provide specific output feedback can help students learn specific skills. Computer simulations can also augment students' learning experience. Human simulation experiences in managing the acute patient in the ICU are well received by students, positively influence their confidence, and decrease their anxiety. There is evidence that simulated learning environments can replace a portion of a full-time 4-week clinical rotation without impairing learning. Conclusions: Simulation-based learning activities are being effectively incorporated into PT curricula. More rigorously designed experimental studies that include a cost–benefit analysis are necessary to help curriculum developers make informed choices in curriculum design. PMID:25931672

PUMAS: The On-line journal of Math and Science Examples for Pre-College Education

Science.gov (United States)

Trainer, Melissa G.; Kahn, Ralph A.

2015-11-01

PUMAS - “Practical Uses of Math And Science” - is an on-line collection of brief examples showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes can be used in interesting settings, including every day life. The examples are written primarily by scientists, engineers, and other content experts having practical experience with the material. They are aimed mainly at classroom teachers to enrich their presentation of math and science topics. The goal of PUMAS is to capture, for the benefit of pre-college education, the flavor of the vast experience that working scientists have with interesting and practical uses of math and science. There are currently over 80 examples in the PUMAS collection, and they are organized by curriculum topics and tagged with relevant grade levels and curriculum topic benchmarks. The published examples cover a wide range of subject matter: from demonstrating why summer is hot, to describing the fluid dynamics of a lava lamp, to calculating the best age to collect Social Security Benefits. The examples are available to all interested parties via the PUMAS web site: http://pumas.nasa.gov/.We invite the community to participate in the PUMAS collection. We seek scientists and scientific thinkers to provide innovative examples of practical uses for teachers to use to enrich the classroom experience, and content experts to participate in peer-review. We also seek teachers to review examples for originality, accuracy of content, clarity of presentation, and grade-level appropriateness. Finally, we encourage teachers to mine this rich repository for real-world examples to demonstrate the value of math in science in everyday life.

Lessons Learned by Comparing On-line Education Strategies Across Disciplines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen H. Edwards

2004-12-01

Full Text Available When choosing how best to employ educational technologies for on-line learning, there is much to be gained by examining the experience of educators in other disciplines. This paper presents four brief case studies in the disciplines of computer science and social work. Lessons learned by comparing these diverse experiences are discussed, including creating a community of learners, supporting asynchronous student communication, using synchronous on-line meetings, and providing social support. In addition, the experiences presented indicate that stereotypes of student capabilities and expectations may often be inaccurate, and revising one's views may be helpful in achieving better results in on-line education.

Dasatinib first-line: Multicentric Italian experience outside clinical trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Breccia, Massimo; Stagno, Fabio; Luciano, Luigiana; Abruzzese, Elisabetta; Annunziata, Mario; D'Adda, Mariella; Maggi, Alessandro; Sgherza, Nicola; Russo-Rossi, Antonella; Pregno, Patrizia; Castagnetti, Fausto; Iurlo, Alessandra; Latagliata, Roberto; Cedrone, Michele; Di Renzo, Nicola; Sorà, Federica; Rege-Cambrin, Giovanna; La Nasa, Giorgio; Scortechini, Anna Rita; Greco, Giovanna; Franceschini, Luca; Sica, Simona; Bocchia, Monica; Crugnola, Monica; Orlandi, Esther; Guarini, Attilio; Specchia, Giorgina; Rosti, Gianantonio; Saglio, Giuseppe; Alimena, Giuliana

2016-01-01

Dasatinib was approved for the treatment of chronic phase (CP) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients in first line therapy based on the demonstration of efficacy and safety reported in patients enrolled in clinical trials. We describe a multicentric Italian "real-life" experience of dasatinib used as frontline treatment outside clinical trials. One hundred and nine patients (median age 54 years) were treated from January 2012 to December 2013. Increased incidence of high risk patients were detected according to stratification (26% according to Sokal score, 19% according to Euro score and 16% according to EUTOS) when compared to company sponsored studies. Median time from diagnosis to start of dasatinib was 18 days. Ten patients received unscheduled starting dose (6 patients 50mg and 4 patients 80 mg QD), whereas 99 patients started with 100mg QD. At 3 months, 92% of patients achieved a BCR-ABL ratio less than 10%. At 6 months, the rate of CCyR was 91% and the rate of MR3 was 40%, with 8% of the patients reaching MR4.5. Ninety-three patients were evaluable at 12 months: the rate of MR3 was 62%, with MR4.5 being achieved by 19% of the patients. At a median follow-up of 12 months, 27 patients (24.7%) were receiving the drug at reduced dose. Two patients (1.8%) experienced a lymphoid blast crisis and the overall incidence of resistance was 8%. As regards safety, the major side effects recorded were thrombocytopenia, neutropenia and pleural effusions, which occurred in 22%, 10% and 8% of patients, respectively. Present results, achieved in a large cohort of patients treated outside clinical trials, further confirm the efficacy and safety of dasatinib as firstline treatment in CML. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

TRANSMISSION LINE-WIRE DANCING (GALLOPING – LYAPUNOV INSTABILITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. I. Vanko

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This article describes aerodynamic losses of damping, or aerodynamic instability, which we observe in experiments and in engineering practice. As applied to industrial high-voltage lines this phenomenon is usually called galloping (dancing of phase line wires. This phenolmenon can be explained by Lyapunov’s instability of equilibrium state of wires profile (cross-section. In addition to known condition of Grauert-den-Hartog’s instability there was obtained practical condition of instability, which depends only on stationary aerodynamic profile’s factor – dimensionless coefficient of head resistance and lift coefficient, and also on their derivative with respect to the angle of attack.There was suggested an effective numerical-analytical method of investigation of stability for equilibrium of profile’s state in flow, which was developed at the department “Applied mathematics” of Bauman MSTU. This method allows to determine the stationary aerodynamics characteristics of profile by numerical simulation of profile flow under different angles of attack by vortex element method and later on the application of analytical conditions of stability and Lyapunov’s instability of equilibrium positions. The obtained results during the investigation of rhombic and square profiles stability, as well as general profile of iced wire, and their comparisons with the known experiments’ results in aerodynamic tubes indicate the precision of developed methods and algorithms. The usage of mesh-free Lagrange method of vortex elements and software for their realization allows to solve also dual problems of aerohydroelasticity and to carry out direct numerical simulation of profile movement in flow. In this article the investigations’ results of different authors in this field were taken into account.

Do line managers’ have ‘linking pin’ in HR roles?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Ayyub Hassan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The present article aims to identify the possible line managers’ involvement factors in human resource (HR initiatives and its ‘linking pin’ to the HR roles. In this regard, few factors have been considered pertinent to line managers’ involvement factors in HR initiatives which are desire, self-efficacy, and HR support. Whereas, the considered dimensions of HR roles reviewed are strategic partner, change agent, employee champion, and administrative expert. Design/methodology/approach: The paper intends to provide a conceptual review of the past literature in the areas of HR roles and line managers and further justify the proposed conceptual framework that will move this work further. Findings: The review also showed that HR devolution to line managers will boost line managers’ participation and responsibility to practice HR roles at the workplace. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this review is no empirical evidence provided by the authors to support the literature of the article. All the provided literature is written based on the findings gained from the previous studies. Practical implications: Line managers’ involvement in HR Initiatives can increase the competency diversity among line manager. This in turn can help the organization to operate at high efficiency. Originality/value: There is a notable lack of research conducted to identify line managers’ involvement in HR. Therefore, this article contributes to the literature on the relationship between line managers and HR roles.

A key role of practical training in higher education: what can traineeship offer to trainee translators?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nataša Hirci

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper gives an outline of Traineeship at the Department of Translation, University of Ljubljana, designed as a practical, hands-on experience in translation work for students. In the re-design of the study programmes at the Department of Translation in line with the Bologna Reform, compulsory Traineeship was introduced as part of the MA course in Translation/Interpreting, offering students an insight into real-life translation situations while providing employers with an impression of their prospective employees. The main objective of Traineeship is to give an added-value to the MA course, provide job opportunities and offer students a practical experience while workingwith the state-of-the-art translation technologies. The trainees can apply their knowledge obtained at the faculty to real-life translation assignments while gaining new skills and experience which combined contribute to a more efficient integration into the translation market. The paper explores the specific approaches to the implementation of Traineeship at the Department of Translation developed over the last decade, offering a model of good practice to other traineeship organizers.

Participants' engagement with and reactions to the use of on-line action learning sets to support advanced nursing role development.

Science.gov (United States)

Currie, Kay; Biggam, John; Palmer, Janette; Corcoran, Terry

2012-04-01

Professional role development in nursing is occurring at a rapid pace in the UK as elsewhere. Internationally, finding relevant, flexible, sustainable educational solutions to support the preparation of nurses for new roles presents significant challenges for Higher Education Institutions, health service managers and the clinical practitioners who are would-be students. The use of on-line learning is frequently advocated as one means of resolving these difficulties. This paper discusses participants' engagement with, and reactions to, the use of on-line Action Learning Sets (ALS) as part of a national pilot development pathway for Advanced Nursing Practice in Scotland. Data collection included: survey of participants' views of on-line ALS; survey comparing perceptions of ALS with other educational experiences within the pathway; in-depth interviews with case-site participants. A range of benefits and limitations of on-line ALS was identified. The benefit of flexible access and sharing experiences with others was emphasised. Conversely, multiple commitments and lack of group cohesiveness significantly interfered with the effectiveness of this process. Key recommendations for future implementation acknowledge participants' preference for a blended approach, with face-to-face sessions to provide 'getting-to-know-you' opportunities, enhancing commitment to the group process. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Low Cost Implementation of an Existing Hands-on Laboratory Experiment in Electronic Engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clement Onime

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In engineering the pedagogical content of most formative programmes includes a significant amount of practical laboratory hands-on activity designed to deliver knowledge acquisition from actual experience alongside traditional face-to-face classroom based lectures and tutorials; this hands-on aspect is not always adequately addressed by current e-learning platforms. An innovative approach to e-learning in engineering, named computer aided engineering education (CAEE is about the use of computer aids for the enhanced, interactive delivery of educational materials in different fields of engineering through two separate but related components; one for classroom and another for practical hands-on laboratory work. The component for hands-on laboratory practical work focuses on the use of mixed reality (video-based augmented reality tools on mobile devices/platforms. This paper presents the computer aided engineering education (CAEE implementation of a laboratory experiment in micro-electronics that highlights some features such as the ability to closely implement an existing laboratory based hands-on experiment with lower associated costs and the ability to conduct the experiment off-line while maintaining existing pedagogical contents and standards.

Student Teachers' Experiences of Teaching Practice at Open and Distance Learning Institution in South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Mokoena, Sello

2017-01-01

This small-scale study focused on the experiences of student teachers towards teaching practice in an open and distance learning (ODL) institution in South Africa. The sample consisted of 65 fourth year students enrolled for Bachelor of Education, specializing in secondary school teaching. The mixed-method research design consisting of…

The Widom line of supercooled water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franzese, Giancarlo; Stanley, H Eugene

2007-01-01

Water can be supercooled to temperatures as low as -92 deg. C, the experimental crystal homogeneous nucleation temperature T H at 2 kbar. Within the supercooled liquid phase its response functions show an anomalous increase consistent with the presence of a liquid-liquid critical point located in a region inaccessible to experiments on bulk water. Recent experiments on the dynamics of confined water show that a possible way to understand the properties of water is to investigate the supercooled phase diagram in the vicinity of the Widom line (locus of maximum correlation length) that emanates from the hypothesized liquid-liquid critical point. Here we explore the Widom line for a Hamiltonian model of water using an analytic approach, and discuss the plausibility of the hypothesized liquid-liquid critical point, as well as its possible consequences, on the basis of the assumptions of the model. The present analysis allows us (i) to find an analytic expression for the spinodal line of the high-density liquid phase, with respect to the low-density liquid phase, showing that this line becomes flat in the P-T phase diagram in the physical limit of a large number of available orientations for the hydrogen bonds, as recently seen in simulations and experiments (Xu et al 2005 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. 102 16558); (ii) to find an estimate of the values for the hypothesized liquid-liquid critical point coordinates that compare very well with Monte Carlo results; and (iii) to show how the Widom line can be located by studying the derivative of the probability of forming hydrogen bonds with local tetrahedral orientation which can be calculated analytically within this approach

Australian Academic Librarians’ Experience of Evidence Based Practice Involves Empowering, Intuiting, Affirming, Connecting, Noticing, and Impacting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanne Marie Muellenbach

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A Review of: Miller, F., Partridge, H., Bruce, C., Yates, C., & Howlett, A. (2017. How academic librarians experience evidence-based practice: A grounded theory model. Library & Information Science Research, 39(2, 124-130. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2017.04.003 Abstract Objective – To explore and enhance the understanding of how Australian library and information science (LIS practitioners experience or understand evidence based practice (EBP within the context of their day-to-day professional work. Design – Constructivist grounded theory methodology. Setting – University libraries in Queensland, Australia. Subjects – 13 academic librarians. Methods – Researchers contacted academic librarians by email and invited each participant to take part in a 30-60 minute, semi-structured interview. They designed interview questions to allow participants to explain their process and experience of EBP. Main results – This study identified six categories of experience of EBP using a constructivist grounded theory analysis process. The categories are: Empowering; Intuiting; Affirming; Connecting; Noticing; and Impacting. Briefly, empowering includes being empowered, or empowering clients, colleagues, and institutions through improved practice or performance. Intuiting includes being intuitive, or using one’s own intuition, wisdom, and understanding, of colleagues and clients’ behaviours to solve problems and redesign services. Affirming includes being affirmed through sharing feedback and using affirmation to strengthen support for action. Connecting includes being connected, and building connections, with clients, colleagues, and institutions. Noticing includes being actively aware of, observing, and reflecting on clients, colleagues, and literature within and outside of one’s own university, and noticing patterns in data to inform decision-making. Impacting includes being impactful, or having a visible impact, on clients, colleagues

On-line experience with the 168/E

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carroll, J.T.; Brau, J.E.; Maruyama, T.; Parker, D.B.; Chima, J.S.; Price, D.R.; Rankin, P.; Hatley, R.W.

1981-04-01

Current 20 GeV/c photoproduction experiments at the SLAC Hybrid Facility require a decision to take a picture within 150 to 300 μs after the beam pulse. A charged track trigger is provided by a 168/E processor which finds tracks in a downstream PWC system. To meet trigger time requirements the 168/E SNOOP module CAMAC interface is augmented by a CAMAD Auxiliary Controller and dedicated I/0 cards in the 168/E chassis. Between beam pulses a floating point Fortran program executing on a 168/E monitors data acquisition. Experiences with software development and application are reviewed

Advanced Practice Nursing in Pediatric Urology: experience report in the Federal District

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruna Marcela Lima de Souza

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the creation and implementation of the extension program Advanced Practice Nursing in Pediatric Urology, developed in the outpatient clinic of a teaching hospital in the Federal District. Method: This is an experience report regarding the implementation of an outpatient service aimed at children and adolescents with symptoms of bladder and bowel dysfunction. Results: Because it is an extension program linked to the university, it follows a different model of care, valuing empowerment, informed and shared decision making, which results in a stronger bond between patients, family and the Pediatric Urology nursing team. It has also become a privileged space for the production and use of scientific knowledge, associated with the principles of evidence-based practice. Conclusion: This project shows a different performance of the nurse-specialist-professor-researcher in Pediatric Urology Nursing, and it has become a reference in the Federal District, mainly for undergraduate and graduate nursing students.

The LHCb VELO analogue transmission line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bay, A.; Borel, J.; Buytaert, J.; De Laere, S.; Frei, R.; Haefeli, G.; Koppenburg, P.; Locatelli, L.; Schneider, O.; Zehr, F.

2010-01-01

The Vertex Locator is one of the most important sub-detectors of the LHCb experiment, which is devoted to B physics. The signals from the silicon strip sensors are multiplexed at 40 MHz and transported by 60 m copper lines to the counting stations placed in a radiation safe area. This paper describes the development of this long transmission line and its performance.

Development of a software for a multi-processor system aimed at the on-line control of nuclear physics experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poggioli, Jean Renaud

1984-01-01

This research thesis reports the development of a software for an acquisition computer aimed at the on-line control of nuclear physics experiments. An original architecture, based on the assignment of a processor to each fundamental task, enables the implementation of a high performance system. In order to make the user free of programming constraints, the author developed a software for dynamic generation of acquisition and processing codes. These codes are created from a data base which is programmed by the user by using a language close to the physical reality. Procedures of interactive control of the experiment are thus simplified by displaying function menus on the operator terminal. The author evokes possible hardware improvements and possible extensions of the system [fr

Coupled Transmission Lines as Impedance Transformer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Thomas; Zhurbenko, Vitaliy; Krozer, Viktor

2007-01-01

A theoretical investigation of the use of a coupled line section as an impedance transformer is presented. We show how to properly select the terminations of the coupled line structures for effective matching of real and complex loads in both narrow and wide frequency ranges. The corresponding...... circuit configurations and the design procedures are proposed. Synthesis relations are derived and provided for efficient matching circuit construction. Design examples are given to demonstrate the flexibility and limitations of the design methods and to show their validity for practical applications...

Radiosensitivity of mesothelioma cell lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haekkinen, A.M.; Laasonen, A.; Linnainmaa, K.; Mattson, K.; Pyrhoenen, S.

1996-01-01

The present study was carried out in order to examine the radiosensitivity of malignant pleural mesothelioma cell lines. Cell kinetics, radiation-induced delay of the cell cycle and DNA ploidy of the cell lines were also determined. For comparison an HeLa and a human foetal fibroblast cell line were simultaneously explored. Six previously cytogenetically and histologically characterized mesothelioma tumor cell lines were applied. A rapid tiazolyl blue microtiter (MTT) assay was used to analyze radiosensitivity and cell kinetics and DNA ploidy of the cultured cells were determined by flow cytometry. The survival fraction after a dose of 2 Gy (SF2), parameters α and β of the linear quadratic model (LQ-model) and mean inactivation dose (D MID ) were also estimated. The DNA index of four cell lines equaled 1.0 and two cell lines equaled 1.5 and 1.6. Different mesothelioma cell lines showed a great variation in radiosensitivity. Mean survival fraction after a radiation dose of 2 Gy (SF2) was 0.60 and ranged from 0.36 to 0.81 and mean α value was 0.26 (range 0.48-0.083). The SF2 of the most sensitive diploid mesothelioma cell line was 0.36: Less than that of the foetal fibroblast cell line (0.49). The survival fractions (0.81 and 0.74) of the two most resistant cell lines, which also were aneuploid, were equal to that of the HeLa cell line (0.78). The α/β ratios of the most sensitive cell lines were almost an order of magnitude greater than those of the two most resistant cell lines. Radiation-induced delay of the most resistant aneuploid cell line was similar to that of HeLa cells but in the most sensitive (diploid cells) there was practically no entry into the G1 phase following the 2 Gy radiation dose during 36 h. (orig.)

Radiosensitivity of mesothelioma cell lines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haekkinen, A.M. [Dept. of Oncology, Univ. Central Hospital, Helsinki (Finland); Laasonen, A. [Dept. of Pathology, Central Hospital of Etelae-Pohjanmaa, Seinaejoki (Finland); Linnainmaa, K. [Dept. of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, Inst. of Occupational Health, Helsinki (Finland); Mattson, K. [Dept. Pulmonary Medicine, Univ. Central Hospital, Helsinki (Finland); Pyrhoenen, S. [Dept. of Oncology, Univ. Central Hospital, Helsinki (Finland)

1996-10-01

The present study was carried out in order to examine the radiosensitivity of malignant pleural mesothelioma cell lines. Cell kinetics, radiation-induced delay of the cell cycle and DNA ploidy of the cell lines were also determined. For comparison an HeLa and a human foetal fibroblast cell line were simultaneously explored. Six previously cytogenetically and histologically characterized mesothelioma tumor cell lines were applied. A rapid tiazolyl blue microtiter (MTT) assay was used to analyze radiosensitivity and cell kinetics and DNA ploidy of the cultured cells were determined by flow cytometry. The survival fraction after a dose of 2 Gy (SF2), parameters {alpha} and {beta} of the linear quadratic model (LQ-model) and mean inactivation dose (D{sub MID}) were also estimated. The DNA index of four cell lines equaled 1.0 and two cell lines equaled 1.5 and 1.6. Different mesothelioma cell lines showed a great variation in radiosensitivity. Mean survival fraction after a radiation dose of 2 Gy (SF2) was 0.60 and ranged from 0.36 to 0.81 and mean {alpha} value was 0.26 (range 0.48-0.083). The SF2 of the most sensitive diploid mesothelioma cell line was 0.36: Less than that of the foetal fibroblast cell line (0.49). The survival fractions (0.81 and 0.74) of the two most resistant cell lines, which also were aneuploid, were equal to that of the HeLa cell line (0.78). The {alpha}/{beta} ratios of the most sensitive cell lines were almost an order of magnitude greater than those of the two most resistant cell lines. Radiation-induced delay of the most resistant aneuploid cell line was similar to that of HeLa cells but in the most sensitive (diploid cells) there was practically no entry into the G1 phase following the 2 Gy radiation dose during 36 h. (orig.).

APSIC guide for prevention of Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moi Lin Ling

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract This document is an executive summary of the APSIC Guide for Prevention of Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI. It describes key evidence-based care components of the Central Line Insertion and Maintenance Bundles and its implementation using the quality improvement methodology, namely the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA methodology involving multidisciplinary process and stakeholders. Monitoring of improvement over time with timely feedback to stakeholders is a key component to ensure the success of implementing best practices. A surveillance program is recommended to monitor outcomes and adherence to evidence-based central line insertion and maintenance practices (compliance rate and identify quality improvement opportunities and strategically targeting interventions for the reduction of CLABSI.

Science Teachers' Beliefs about the Influence of Their Summer Research Experiences on Their Pedagogical Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Rommel J.; Damico, Julie B.

2013-01-01

This study sought to determine the beliefs that tenured, in-service high school science teachers hold about how their participation in a large mid-Atlantic university's 6-week summer research experiences for teachers (RET) program might influence their pedagogical practices. The findings show a number of factors that teachers believed helped them…

“I had no idea this shame piece was in me”: Couple and family therapists’ experience with learning an evidence-based practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Allan

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This study reports on the experience of shame while learning an evidence-based approach to working with couples or families. Couple and family therapists were interviewed about their experience with learning and using an evidence-based practice (EBP and the data was analyzed using a phenomenological approach called interpretative phenomenological analysis. The theme of shame emerged from a number of research participants as part of their development with the EBP they were integrating into their practice. Starting with an exploration of the participants’ experiences and the impact of shame, the paper will then link these experiences with the psychological and sociological research literature about shame.

On-line monitoring of the U(VI) concentration in 30 vol.% TBP/kerosene: an evaluation of real-time analysis in polyetheretherketone (PEEK) containers via Raman spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue Bai; Ding-Ming Li; Zhi-Yuan Chang; De-Jun Fan; Jin-Ping Liu; Hui Wang

2015-01-01

In order to evaluate the practicability of Raman spectroscopy for on-line U(VI) concentration monitoring in 30 vol.% TBP/kerosene within polyetheretherketone containers, laboratory scale experiments were performed and several influencing factors for real-time determination were investigated. A method of internal standard was employed for the first time. Software developed for real-time concentration data display can give the U(VI) concentration autonomously within several seconds. The study confirmed Raman spectroscopy as a promising methodology for on-line U(VI) concentration monitoring in organic phase. (author)

Teacher Research Experiences: Impacting and Benefiting Teacher Professional Development and School-wide Practices (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Manning, C. B.

2013-12-01

Providing authentic research opportunities is a potent form of professional development that significantly impacts teaching practices. The University of Rhode Island's ARMADA Project (2003-2010) was funded by the National Science Foundation to create opportunities for teachers to work with marine science researchers and implement best-practices in their classrooms. In early 2009, I participated in a 6-week research experience that has changed how I teach and how I learn. On board the R/V Knorr, I worked as a sedimentologist with an international crew who used geophysics, geochemistry, microbiology and geology to understand the controls on and distribution of subseafloor microbial life in the equatorial Pacific. This experience has affected my educational practices in two ways: (1) motivating me to fill gaps in my own understanding of natural chemical processes, and (2) prioritizing authentic research opportunities for all students at my school. My participation in the ARMADA project underscored the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to research. The team of scientists exposed me to a variety of topics. Biochemistry and the role of redox reactions in biological systems were relatively new to me. Scientists encouraged me to dig deeper into the chemical systems that we were researching. Through self-study and coursework focusing on biogeochemical cycles, deriving energy through chemical processes, and atmospheric chemistry, I have learned much of the chemistry that I am now expected to teach in my courses. I continue to seek out opportunities to learn more and am currently volunteering at geochemistry laboratories at the USGS. My ARMADA research experience depended on teamwork. I learned that while the dynamics of research teams can be simplified if the teams are carefully designed, it is important that students need to learn to work with a variety of people in different situations. Therefore, in my courses, students work in different teams to design and

Extending Practical Pre-Aggregation in On-Line Analytical Processing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Torben Bach; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard; Dyreson, Curtis E.

On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) based on a dimensional view of data is being used increasingly in traditional business applications as well as in applications such as health care for the purpose of analyzing very large amounts of data. Pre-aggregation, the prior materialization of aggregate...... select combinations of aggregates and then re-use these for efficiently computing other aggregates. However, this re-use of aggregates is contingent on the dimension hierarchies and the relationships between facts and dimensions satisfying stringent constraints. This severely limits the scope...

Radiological Characterisation from a Waste and Materials End-State Perspective: Practices and Experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mommaert, Chantal; Andrieu, Caroline; Desnoyers, Yvon; Denis Pombet; Salsac, Marie-Delphine; Knaack, Michael; Altavilla, Massimo; Manes, Daniela; Takahashi, Hiroaki; Ul Syed, Naeem; Palomo, Nieves Martin; Larsson, Arne; Dunlop, Alister; Susan Brown; Emptage, Matthew; Black, Greg; Abu-Eid, Rateb; Szilagyi, Andrew; Weber, Inge; )

2017-01-01

Radiological characterisation is a key enabling activity for the planning and implementation of nuclear facility decommissioning. Effective characterisation allows the extent, location and nature of contamination to be determined and provides crucial information for facility dismantling, the management of material and waste arisings, the protection of workers, the public and the environment, and associated cost estimations. This report will be useful for characterisation practitioners who carry out tactical planning, preparation, optimisation and implementation of characterisation to support the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the management of associated materials and waste. It compiles recent experience from NEA member countries in radiological characterisation, including from international experts, international case studies, an international conference, and international standards and guidance. Using this comprehensive evidence base, the report identifies relevant good practice and provides practical advice covering all stages of the characterisation process

The effects of corona on current surges induced on conducting lines by EMP: A comparison of experiment data with results of analytic corona models

Science.gov (United States)

Blanchard, J. P.; Tesche, F. M.; McConnell, B. W.

1987-09-01

An experiment to determine the interaction of an intense electromagnetic pulse (EMP), such as that produced by a nuclear detonation above the Earth's atmosphere, was performed in March, 1986 at Kirtland Air Force Base near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The results of that experiment have been published without analysis. Following an introduction of the corona phenomenon, the reason for interest in it, and a review of the experiment, this paper discusses five different analytic corona models that may model corona formation on a conducting line subjected to EMP. The results predicted by these models are compared with measured data acquired during the experiment to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each model.

Equilibrium system analysis in a tokamak ignition experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carrera, R.; Weldon, W.F.; Woodson, H.H.

1989-10-01

The objective of the IGNITEX Project is to produce and control ignited plasmas for scientific study in the simplest and least expensive way possible. The original concept was proposed by both physics and engineering researchers along the following line of thought. Question: Is there any theoretically simple, compact and reliable way of achieving fusion ignition according to the results of the fusion research program for the last decades? Answer: Yes. An experiment to be carried out in an ohmically heated compact tokamak device with 20 T field on plasma axis. Question: Is there any practical way to carry out that experiment at low cost in the near term? Answer: Yes. Using a single-turn coil magnet system with homopolar power supplies

Equilibrium system analysis in a tokamak ignition experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carrera, R.; Weldon, W.F.; Woodson, H.H.

1989-10-01

The objective of the IGNITEX Project is to produce and control ignited plasmas for scientific study in the simplest and least expensive way possible. The original concept was proposed by both physics and engineering researchers along the following line of thought. Question: Is there any theoretically simple, compact and reliable way of achieving fusion ignition according to the results of the fusion research program for the last decades Answer: Yes. An experiment to be carried out in an ohmically heated compact tokamak device with 20 T field on plasma axis. Question: Is there any practical way to carry out that experiment at low cost in the near term Answer: Yes. Using a single-turn coil magnet system with homopolar power supplies.

Improving Student Commitment to Healthcare-Related Design Practice by Improving the Studio Learning Experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Lindsay; Hong, Miyoung; Albert, Taneshia West

2017-10-01

This case study explores the influence of the healthcare design studio experience on students' short-term professional goals as measured through rates of healthcare-related certification and internship/employment. The value and relevance of interior design is evident in the healthcare design sector. However, interior design students may not perceive this value if it is not communicated through their design education. Students' experience in the design studio plays a crucial role in determining career choices, and students may be more committed to career goals when there is clear connection between major coursework and professional practice. The authors compared healthcare-related certification and internship/employment levels between two student cohorts in a capstone undergraduate interior design healthcare design studio course. The first cohort was led by the existing curriculum. The second cohort was led by the revised curriculum that specifically aimed at encouraging students to commit to healthcare-related design practice. When measured at 3 months from graduation, the second cohort, led by the revised curriculum, saw a 30% increase in Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification exam pass rates and a 40% increase in healthcare-related internship/employment. The challenge of interior design education is to instill in emerging professionals not only professional competence but also those professional attitudes that will make them better prepared to design spaces that improve quality of life, particularly in healthcare environments. The results exceeded the project goals, and so this could be considered a promising practice for courses focused on healthcare design education.

A contact angle hysteresis model based on the fractal structure of contact line.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Shuai; Ma, Ming

2017-11-01

Contact angle is one of the most popular concept used in fields such as wetting, transport and microfludics. In practice, different contact angles such as equilibrium, receding and advancing contact angles are observed due to hysteresis. The connection among these contact angles is important in revealing the chemical and physical properties of surfaces related to wetting. Inspired by the fractal structure of contact line, we propose a single parameter model depicting the connection of the three angles. This parameter is decided by the fractal structure of the contact line. The results of this model agree with experimental observations. In certain cases, it can be reduced to other existing models. It also provides a new point of view in understanding the physical nature of the contact angle hysteresis. Interestingly, some counter-intuitive phenomena, such as the binary receding angles, are indicated in this model, which are waited to be validated by experiments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Report on the Second Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel S. Katz

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This technical report records and discusses the Second Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE2. The report includes a description of the alternative, experimental submission and review process, two workshop keynote presentations, a series of lightning talks, a discussion on sustainability, and five discussions from the topic areas of exploring sustainability; software development experiences; credit & incentives; reproducibility & reuse & sharing; and code testing & code review. For each topic, the report includes a list of tangible actions that were proposed and that would lead to potential change. The workshop recognized that reliance on scientific software is pervasive in all areas of world-leading research today. The workshop participants then proceeded to explore different perspectives on the concept of sustainability. Key enablers and barriers of sustainable scientific software were identified from their experiences. In addition, recommendations with new requirements such as software credit files and software prize frameworks were outlined for improving practices in sustainable software engineering. There was also broad consensus that formal training in software development or engineering was rare among the practitioners. Significant strides need to be made in building a sense of community via training in software and technical practices, on increasing their size and scope, and on better integrating them directly into graduate education programs. Finally, journals can define and publish policies to improve reproducibility, whereas reviewers can insist that authors provide sufficient information and access to data and software to allow them reproduce the results in the paper. Hence a list of criteria is compiled for journals to provide to reviewers so as to make it easier to review software submitted for publication as a “Software Paper.” 

How do line managers experience and handle the return to work of employees on sick leave due to work-related stress? A one-year follow-up study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ladegaard, Yun; Skakon, Janne; Elrond, Andreas Friis; Netterstrøm, Bo

2017-08-28

To examine how line managers experience and manage the return to work process of employees on sick leave due to work-related stress and to identify supportive and inhibiting factors. Semi-structured interviews with 15 line managers who have had employees on sick leave due to work-related stress. The grounded theory approach was employed. Even though managers may accept the overall concept of work-related stress, they focus on personality and individual circumstances when an employee is sick-listed due to work-related stress. The lack of a common understanding of stress creates room for this focus. Line managers experience cross-pressure, discrepancies between strategic and human-relationship perspectives and a lack of organizational support in the return to work process. Organizations should aim to provide support for line managers. Research-based knowledge and guidelines on work-related stress and return to work process are essential, as is the involvement of coworkers. A commonly accepted definition of stress and a systematic risk assessment is also important. Cross-pressure on line managers should be minimized and room for adequate preventive actions should be provided as such an approach could support both the return to work process and the implementation of important interventions in the work environment. Implication for rehabilitation Organizations should aim to provide support for line managers handling the return to work process. Cross-pressure on line managers should be minimized and adequate preventive actions should be provided in relation to the return to work process. Research-based knowledge and guidelines on work-related stress and return to work are essential. A common and formal definition of stress should be emphasized in the workplace.

“The balancing act”— Licensed practical nurse experiences of falls and fall prevention: a qualitative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Häggqvist Beatrice

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Falls are common in old age and may have serious consequences. There are many strategies to predict and prevent falls from occurring in long-term care and hospitals. The aim of this study was to describe licensed practical nurse experiences of predicting and preventing further falls when working with patients who had experienced a fall-related fracture. Licensed practical nurses are the main caretakers that work most closely with the patients. Methods A qualitative study of focus groups interviews and field observations was done. 15 licensed practical nurses from a rehabilitation ward and an acute ward in a hospital in northern Sweden were interviewed. Content was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results The result of the licensed practical nurse thoughts and experiences about risk of falling and fall prevention work is represented in one theme, “the balancing act”. The theme includes three categories: “the right to decide”, “the constant watch”, and “the ongoing negotiation” as well as nine subcategories. The analysis showed similarities and differences between rehabilitation and acute wards. At both wards it was a core strategy in the licensed practical nurse work to always be ready and to pay attention to patients’ appearance and behavior. At the rehabilitation ward, it was an explicit working task to judge the patients’ risk of falling and to be active to prevent falls. At the acute ward, the words “risk of falling” were not used and fall prevention were not discussed; instead the licensed practical nurses used for example “dizzy and pale”. The results also indicated differences in components that facilitate workplace learning and knowledge transfer. Conclusions Differences between the wards are most probably rooted in organizational differences. When it is expected by the leadership, licensed practical nurses can express patient risk of falling, share their observations with others

The Ratio of the Resonance Line to Intercombination Line in Neonlike Ions

Science.gov (United States)

Panchenko, D.; Andrianarijaona, Vm; Brown, Gv; Hell, N.; Beiersdorfer, P.

2017-04-01

We present the measurement results of the intensity ratios of astrophysically important 1s22s22p1/2 53d3/2 -> 1s22s22p6 resonance line to the 1s2 2s2 2p3/253d5/2 -> 1s22s22p6 intercombination line for Ne-like Kr26+ and Mo32+. The experiment was done at the EBIT-I electron beam ion trap at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and utilized an x-ray microcalorimeter. The Mo32+ experiment is the highest Z-measurement of such type to date, where the dominant role of the intercombination line, known to increase with Z, puts our measurement firmly into the relativistic regime. Compared to the earlier measurements of ions with lower atomic numbers, the measurement for Mo32+ shows much a closer agreement with theory. Our results support the hypothesis that the disagreement should narrow with atomic number. This implies that the disagreement with theory may be confined to the range of atomic numbers where the correlation effects are largest. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. DoE by LLNL, contract DE-AC52-07NA27344, and was supported in part by NASA's APRA program and by the ESA, contract 4000114313/15/NL/CB.

Maintaining physical exercise as a matter of synchronising practices: Experiences and observations from training in Mixed Martial Arts.

Science.gov (United States)

Blue, Stanley

2017-07-01

This paper is concerned with the establishment, maintenance, and decline of physical exercise practices. Drawing on experiences and observations taken from a carnal ethnography and rhythmanalysis of the practices involved in training in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), I argue that maintaining this physical exercise practice is not straightforwardly an outcome of individual commitment, access to facilities, or the availability of free time. It rather depends on the synchronisation of practices: those of MMA, those that support MMA, and those that more broadly make up everyday life. This research suggests that increasing rates of physical activity might be better fostered through facilitating the integration of combinations of healthy activities into everyday life. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Changing hearts and minds: examining student nurses' experiences and perceptions of a general practice placement through a 'community of practice' lens.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Robin; Kelly, Shona

2018-04-05

gradually changing the socio-cultural landscape within general practice by enabling student nurses to experience the reality of life in general practice nursing, and to view the GPN role as a viable career option upon graduation.

Practice and Experience of Task Management of University Students: Case of University of Tsukuba, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuzawa, Ryoko; Joho, Hideo; Maeshiro, Tetsuya

2015-01-01

This paper reports the results of a survey that investigated the practice and experience of task management of university students. A total of 202 tasks identified by 24 university students were analyzed. The results suggest that participants had a reasonable sense of priority of tasks, that they tend to perceive a task as a big chunk, not a…

A Teacher Research Experience: Immersion Into the World of Practicing Ocean Scientists

Science.gov (United States)

Payne, D. L.

2006-12-01

Professional development standards for science teachers encourage opportunities for intellectual professional growth, including participation in scientific research (NRC, 1996). Strategies to encourage the professional growth of teachers of mathematics and science include partnerships with scientists and immersion into the world of scientists and mathematicians (Loucks-Horsley, Love, Stiles, Mundry, & Hewson, 2003). A teacher research experience (TRE) can often offer a sustained relationship with scientists over a prolonged period of time. Research experiences are not a new method of professional development (Dubner, 2000; Fraser-Abder & Leonhardt, 1996; Melear, 1999; Raphael et al., 1999). Scientists serve as role models and "coaches" for teachers a practice which has been shown to dramatically increase the transfer of knowledge, skill and application to the classroom (Joyce & Showers, 2002). This study investigated if and how secondary teachers' beliefs about science, scientific research and science teaching changed as a result of participation in a TRE. Six secondary science teachers participated in a 12 day research cruise. Teachers worked with scientists, the ships' crew and other teachers conducting research and designing lessons for use in the classroom. Surveys were administered pre and post TRE to teachers and their students. Additionally, teachers were interviewed before, during and after the research experience, and following classroom observations before and after the research cruise. Teacher journals and emails, completed during the research cruise, were also analyzed. Results of the study highlight the use of authentic research experiences to retain and renew science teachers, the impact of the teachers' experience on students, and the successes and challenges of implementing a TRE during the academic year.

Experience and perception of sexual harassment during the clinical practice of korean nursing students.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sun-Kyoung; Song, Ju-Eun; Kim, Sue

2011-09-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the experience and perception of sexual harassment during the clinical practice of Korean nursing students. The descriptive study was conducted using a self-report questionnaire from December 2009 to January 2010. Participants were 542 nursing students recruited from 12 nursing colleges in Korea, who had finished 1,000 hours of clinical practice which is the minimum requirement for graduation. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Ninety-seven participants (17.9%) reported that they experienced sexual harassment during clinical practice and 36 participants (6.7%) answered whether it was a sexual harassment or not. When sexual harassment was asked by the specific 18 items in the sexual harassment checklist, 52.0% (n = 282) of participants reported that they experienced at least 1 item among 18 items of sexual harassment. Sexual harassments were frequently made by the persons in their 40s (41.2%), men (97.9%) and patients (96.9%) and in the psychiatric wards (67.0%). Many respondents recognized that sexual harassment during clinical practice was caused by abnormal sexual desire of a pervert (34.5%) or men's sexual impulse (26.2%). Also, sexual harassment was perceived as a serious problem (19.4%) and education was necessary for prevention (88.3%). Education program is needed to prevent sexual harassment and enhance the gender sensitivity of nursing students, who are in the high-risk group of sexual harassment during clinical practice. This will in turn contribute to a safe educational environment for clinical practice. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Previous Experience a Model of Practice UNAE