WorldWideScience

Sample records for media specialists facilitate

  1. School Library Media Specialist-Teacher Collaboration: Characteristics, Challenges, Opportunities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, O. P.; Bray, Marty

    2011-01-01

    The most successful school library media specialists are those who collaborate with teachers as full partners in the instructional process. Without assertive action by the school library media specialist, however, school administrators and teachers are likely to be more aware of the media specialist's administrative role than the roles of teacher,…

  2. Management Matters: The Library Media Specialist's Management Toolbox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pappas, Marjorie L.

    2004-01-01

    Library media specialists need tools to help them manage the school library media program. The Internet includes a vast array of tools that a library media specialist might find useful. The websites and electronic resources included in this article are only a representative sample and future columns may explore additional tools. All the tools are…

  3. The Perception of Teachers and School Library Media Specialist on ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Perception of Teachers and School Library Media Specialist on the Role of School Library Media Specialists in Selected Secondary Schools in Ogun State. ... Journal Home > Vol 9, No 1 (2012) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text ...

  4. Administrative Perceptions on the Role of the School Library Media Specialist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, Kayla

    2013-01-01

    Despite the efforts of local school library media specialists to promote their programming, many administrators do not understand the roles and responsibilities of the school library media specialist. Using a constructivist theoretical framework, this study was designed to examine the local school administrators' perceptions of the role of the…

  5. Designing and Testing an Inventory for Measuring Social Media Competency of Certified Health Education Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alber, Julia M; Bernhardt, Jay M; Stellefson, Michael; Weiler, Robert M; Anderson-Lewis, Charkarra; Miller, M David; MacInnes, Jann

    2015-09-23

    Social media can promote healthy behaviors by facilitating engagement and collaboration among health professionals and the public. Thus, social media is quickly becoming a vital tool for health promotion. While guidelines and trainings exist for public health professionals, there are currently no standardized measures to assess individual social media competency among Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) and Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES). The aim of this study was to design, develop, and test the Social Media Competency Inventory (SMCI) for CHES and MCHES. The SMCI was designed in three sequential phases: (1) Conceptualization and Domain Specifications, (2) Item Development, and (3) Inventory Testing and Finalization. Phase 1 consisted of a literature review, concept operationalization, and expert reviews. Phase 2 involved an expert panel (n=4) review, think-aloud sessions with a small representative sample of CHES/MCHES (n=10), a pilot test (n=36), and classical test theory analyses to develop the initial version of the SMCI. Phase 3 included a field test of the SMCI with a random sample of CHES and MCHES (n=353), factor and Rasch analyses, and development of SMCI administration and interpretation guidelines. Six constructs adapted from the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and the integrated behavioral model were identified for assessing social media competency: (1) Social Media Self-Efficacy, (2) Social Media Experience, (3) Effort Expectancy, (4) Performance Expectancy, (5) Facilitating Conditions, and (6) Social Influence. The initial item pool included 148 items. After the pilot test, 16 items were removed or revised because of low item discrimination (r.90), or based on feedback received from pilot participants. During the psychometric analysis of the field test data, 52 items were removed due to low discrimination, evidence of content redundancy, low R-squared value, or poor item infit or outfit

  6. The Association for Educational Communications and Technology: Division of School Media Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Mary Mock

    1993-01-01

    Reports on the Division of School Media Specialists of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). Highlights include the mission statement; publications; board members and committee chairs; activities at the AECT conferences; and future concerns, including public relations and marketing plans for media specialists and…

  7. Trying To Reduce Your Technostress?: Helpful Activities for Teachers and Library Media Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKenzie, Barbara K.; And Others

    1997-01-01

    As pressure increases to integrate technology into instruction, many teachers and library media specialists are having difficulty coping with "technostress." Presents suggestions and activities for teachers and library media specialists designed to reduce "technostress." (PEN)

  8. Contemporary engagement with social media amongst hernia surgery specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lui, D H; McDonald, J J; de Beaux, A; Tulloh, B; Brady, R R W

    2017-08-01

    Healthcare professional engagement is increasing. This study aims to identify levels of adoption and engagement of several social media platforms by a large international cohort of hernia surgery specialists. Hernia specialists attending the 38th International Congress of the European Hernia Society were identified. A manual search was then performed on Twitter, ResearchGate, and LinkedIn to identify those who had named accounts. Where accounts were identified, data on markers of utilisation were assessed. 759 surgeons (88.5% male) from 57 countries were identified. 334 surgeons (44%) engaged with a social media platform. 39 (5.1%) had Twitter accounts, 189 (24.9%) had ResearchGate accounts and 265 (34.9%) had LinkedIn accounts. 137 surgeons (18.1%) had accounts on 2 or more social media platforms. There was no gender association with social media account ownership (p > 0.05). Engagement in one social media platform was associated with increased engagement and utilisation on other platforms; LinkedIn users were more likely to have Twitter accounts (p social media amongst Hernia surgeons is similar to other surgical specialities. Geographical variation in SM engagement is seen. Engagement with one SM platform is associated with presence on multiple platforms.

  9. Teaching Electronic Literacy A Concepts-Based Approach for School Library Media Specialists

    CERN Document Server

    Craver, Kathleen W

    1997-01-01

    School library media specialists will find this concepts-based approach to teaching electronic literacy an indispensable basic tool for instructing students and teachers. It provides step-by-step instruction on how to find and evaluate needed information from electronic databases and the Internet, how to formulate successful electronic search strategies and retrieve relevant results, and how to interpret and critically analyze search results. The chapters contain a suggested lesson plan and sample assignments for the school library media specialist to use in teaching electronic literacy skills

  10. Making Self-Confidence and Communication Skills Work for the Media Specialist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Driscoll, Roberta M.

    1988-01-01

    Discusses the importance of incorporating technical and human relation skills to be a successful and productive media specialist, and offers guidelines for developing communication skills and self-esteem. (CLB)

  11. Keeping Current: Emotional Intelligence and the School Library Media Specialist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barron, Daniel D.

    1997-01-01

    Discusses emotional intelligence and its importance for school library media specialists, based on a book by Daniel Goleman called "Emotional Intelligence." Highlights include managing emotions and relationships; self-motivation; and how emotional intelligence fits in with Standards for Information Literacy. (LRW)

  12. Multicultural Education: An Action Plan for School Library Media Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skeele, Rosemary W.; Schall, Patricia L.

    1994-01-01

    Offers a definition of and a rationale for multicultural education based on changing demographics and suggests ways for school library media specialists to bring a multicultural perspective to collection development, evaluation of multicultural materials, library services, curriculum integration, and curriculum activities. (Contains 21…

  13. All Librarians Do Is Check out Books, Right? A Look at the Roles of a School Library Media Specialist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purcell, Melissa

    2010-01-01

    Media centers have been transformed from warehouses for books and equipment into the hub of the learning community. Media specialists keep the hub functioning properly. If school library media specialists are doing their job well, they are making a difference in the ways teachers teach and in the ways students learn. On any given day, a media…

  14. 100 Library Lifesavers: A Survival Guide for School Library Media Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bacon, Pamela S.

    This book contains tips (author's suggestions), tools (ready-to-use lifesavers), and talk (quotes from practicing media specialists) for school librarians at all grade levels. A total of 100 lifesavers are included, covering areas such as inventory, motivation strategies, disciplinary approaches, library checkout, Internet searching, the traveling…

  15. Far Away, so Close: Preservices School Library Media Specialists' Perceptions of AASL's "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mardis, Marcia A.; Dickinson, Gail K.

    2009-01-01

    Preservice school library media specialists will implement the AASL Standards for the "21st Century Learner" in their new roles. Drafted in 2007, the Standards reflect principles which school library media specialist must impart to learners to prepare them to be knowledge consumers, producers, and communicators in global environments.…

  16. Specialist nurses’ perceptions of inviting patients to participate in clinical research studies: a qualitative descriptive study of barriers and facilitators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline French

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Increasing the number of patients participating in research studies is a current priority in the National Health Service (NHS in the United Kingdom. The role of specialist nurses in inviting patients to participate is important, yet little is known about their experiences of doing so. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of barriers and facilitators held by specialist nurses with experience of inviting adult NHS patients to a wide variety of research studies. Methods A cross-sectional qualitative descriptive study was conducted between March and July 2015. Participants were 12 specialist nurses representing 7 different clinical specialties and 7 different NHS Trusts. We collected data using individual semi-structured interviews, and analysed transcripts using the Framework method to inductively gain a descriptive overview of barriers and facilitators. Results Barriers and facilitators were complex and interdependent. Perceptions varied among individuals, however barriers and facilitators centred on five main themes: i assessing patient suitability, ii teamwork, iii valuing research, iv the invitation process and v understanding the study. Facilitators to inviting patients to participate in research often stemmed from specialist nurses’ attitudes, skills and experience. Positive research cultures, effective teamwork and strong relationships between research and clinical teams at the local clinical team level were similarly important. Barriers were reported when specialist nurses felt they were providing patients with insufficient information during the invitation process, and when specialist nurses felt they did not understand studies to their satisfaction. Conclusion Our study offers several new insights regarding the role of specialist nurses in recruiting patients for research. It shows that strong local research culture and teamwork overcome some wider organisational and workload barriers reported in

  17. Specialist nurses' perceptions of inviting patients to participate in clinical research studies: a qualitative descriptive study of barriers and facilitators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    French, Caroline; Stavropoulou, Charitini

    2016-08-11

    Increasing the number of patients participating in research studies is a current priority in the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. The role of specialist nurses in inviting patients to participate is important, yet little is known about their experiences of doing so. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of barriers and facilitators held by specialist nurses with experience of inviting adult NHS patients to a wide variety of research studies. A cross-sectional qualitative descriptive study was conducted between March and July 2015. Participants were 12 specialist nurses representing 7 different clinical specialties and 7 different NHS Trusts. We collected data using individual semi-structured interviews, and analysed transcripts using the Framework method to inductively gain a descriptive overview of barriers and facilitators. Barriers and facilitators were complex and interdependent. Perceptions varied among individuals, however barriers and facilitators centred on five main themes: i) assessing patient suitability, ii) teamwork, iii) valuing research, iv) the invitation process and v) understanding the study. Facilitators to inviting patients to participate in research often stemmed from specialist nurses' attitudes, skills and experience. Positive research cultures, effective teamwork and strong relationships between research and clinical teams at the local clinical team level were similarly important. Barriers were reported when specialist nurses felt they were providing patients with insufficient information during the invitation process, and when specialist nurses felt they did not understand studies to their satisfaction. Our study offers several new insights regarding the role of specialist nurses in recruiting patients for research. It shows that strong local research culture and teamwork overcome some wider organisational and workload barriers reported in previous studies. In addition, and in contrast to common practice

  18. Continuing Education Needs and the Professional Reading of School Library Media Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latrobe, Kathy

    1992-01-01

    Reports results of a survey of school library media specialists in Oklahoma regarding continuing education activities and topics. Data are presented on the relative importance of several continuing education activities, percentage of respondents regularly reading specific journals, and continuing education topics ranked by respondents' prioritized…

  19. School Library Media Specialists and the Internet: Road Kill or Road Warriors?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barron, Daniel D.

    1994-01-01

    Discusses use of the Internet by school library media specialists and its importance in the development of the library profession. Highlights include how to access the Internet and resources about the Internet, including information about networks as well as three sources that provide introductions to the general concepts of the Internet. (LRW)

  20. School Library Media Specialists Inform Technology Preparation of Library Science Students: An Evidence-Based Discussion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyder, Donna L.; Miller, Andrea L.

    2009-01-01

    What is the relative importance of current and emerging technologies in school library media programs? In order to answer this question, in Fall 2007 the authors administered a survey to 1,053 school library media specialists (SLMSs) throughout the state of Pennsylvania. As a part of the MSLS degree with Library Science K-12 certification, Clarion…

  1. Media Specialists Can Learn Web 2.0 Tools to Make Schools More Cool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hauser, Judy

    2007-01-01

    Media specialists today are required to use more and more technology. Their responsibilities encompass everything from repairing overhead projectors to administrating an entire library's automated system. These responsibilities are in addition to working with students on research and information literacy, making book selections, and collaborating…

  2. E-Everything and the School Library Media Specialist: Grist for the Mill (Part 2).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barron, Daniel D.

    2001-01-01

    Discusses electronic books and the need for school library media specialists to merge information literacy and library skills with technology skills. Highlights include advancing technology for electronic books; helpful Web sites, including Project Gutenburg; and reader software. (LRW)

  3. STS-95 Payload Specialist Glenn participates in a media briefing before returning to JSC

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    STS-95 Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., a senator from Ohio and one of the original seven Project Mercury astronauts, participates in a media briefing at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site Auditorium before returning to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The STS-95 mission ended with landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility at 12:04 p.m. EST on Nov. 7. Also participating in the briefing were the other STS-95 crew members: Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr.; Pilot Steven W. Lindsey; Mission Specialist and Payload Commander Stephen K. Robinson; Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski; Mission Specialist Pedro Duque, with the European Space Agency (ESA); and Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). The mission included research payloads such as the Spartan-201 solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as a SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process.

  4. Teacher-School Library Media Specialist Collaboration through Social Marketing Strategies: An Information Behavior Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Immroth, Barbara; Lukenbill, W. Bernard

    2007-01-01

    This research was supported in part though an IMLS Kent State University Grant supporting Information Literacy. Based on the importance of teacher-school library media specialist collaboration, this study seeks to advance knowledge involving the dynamics of this special relationship. The subjects were a group of student librarians--themselves…

  5. Social Media to Facilitate Public Participation in IA

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Naber, A.C.; Enserink, B.

    2012-01-01

    Social media are web-based and mobile technologies that facilitate interaction between organizations, communities and individuals. Important characteristics are that the technologies are ubiquitous, communication instantaneous and that they enable the creation and exchange of user-generated content.

  6. Ethical use of social media to facilitate qualitative research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lunnay, Belinda; Borlagdan, Joseph; McNaughton, Darlene; Ward, Paul

    2015-01-01

    Increasingly, qualitative health researchers might consider using social media to facilitate communication with participants. Ambiguity surrounding the potential risks intrinsic to social media could hinder ethical conduct and discourage use of this innovative method. We used some core principles of traditional human research ethics, that is, respect, integrity, and beneficence, to design our photo elicitation research that explored the social influences of drinking alcohol among 34 underage women in metropolitan South Australia. Facebook aided our communication with participants, including correspondence ranging from recruitment to feeding back results and sharing research data. This article outlines the ethical issues we encountered when using Facebook to interact with participants and provides guidance to researchers planning to incorporate social media as a tool in their qualitative studies. In particular, we raise the issues of privacy and confidentiality as contemporary risks associated with research using social media. © The Author(s) 2014.

  7. Role Expectations for School Library Media Specialists: A Collective Case Study of Two Medium-Sized Wisconsin School Districts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lea, Mark Keith

    2013-01-01

    During this period of radical change in the field of information technology there is evidence of confusion about the role of school library media specialists in the implementation, and the administration of emerging information technologies in Wisconsin public schools. This study sought to answer the question what is the role of the school library…

  8. Specialist Bibliographic Databases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gasparyan, Armen Yuri; Yessirkepov, Marlen; Voronov, Alexander A; Trukhachev, Vladimir I; Kostyukova, Elena I; Gerasimov, Alexey N; Kitas, George D

    2016-05-01

    Specialist bibliographic databases offer essential online tools for researchers and authors who work on specific subjects and perform comprehensive and systematic syntheses of evidence. This article presents examples of the established specialist databases, which may be of interest to those engaged in multidisciplinary science communication. Access to most specialist databases is through subscription schemes and membership in professional associations. Several aggregators of information and database vendors, such as EBSCOhost and ProQuest, facilitate advanced searches supported by specialist keyword thesauri. Searches of items through specialist databases are complementary to those through multidisciplinary research platforms, such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Familiarizing with the functional characteristics of biomedical and nonbiomedical bibliographic search tools is mandatory for researchers, authors, editors, and publishers. The database users are offered updates of the indexed journal lists, abstracts, author profiles, and links to other metadata. Editors and publishers may find particularly useful source selection criteria and apply for coverage of their peer-reviewed journals and grey literature sources. These criteria are aimed at accepting relevant sources with established editorial policies and quality controls.

  9. Specialist Bibliographic Databases

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-01

    Specialist bibliographic databases offer essential online tools for researchers and authors who work on specific subjects and perform comprehensive and systematic syntheses of evidence. This article presents examples of the established specialist databases, which may be of interest to those engaged in multidisciplinary science communication. Access to most specialist databases is through subscription schemes and membership in professional associations. Several aggregators of information and database vendors, such as EBSCOhost and ProQuest, facilitate advanced searches supported by specialist keyword thesauri. Searches of items through specialist databases are complementary to those through multidisciplinary research platforms, such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Familiarizing with the functional characteristics of biomedical and nonbiomedical bibliographic search tools is mandatory for researchers, authors, editors, and publishers. The database users are offered updates of the indexed journal lists, abstracts, author profiles, and links to other metadata. Editors and publishers may find particularly useful source selection criteria and apply for coverage of their peer-reviewed journals and grey literature sources. These criteria are aimed at accepting relevant sources with established editorial policies and quality controls. PMID:27134485

  10. Neurobasal media facilitates increased specificity of siRNA-mediated knockdown in primary cerebellar cultures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gustafsson, Julie Ry; Katsioudi, Georgia; Issazadeh-Navikas, Shohreh

    2016-01-01

    be effectively grown in Neurobasal™ media. NEW METHOD: We tested the efficiency of siRNA from the Accell range from Dharmacon™ when delivered in Neurobasal™ media in contrast to the recommended Accell Delivery media provided by the manufacturer. RESULTS: We observed a more specific knockdown of target...... in Neurobasal™ media, than in Accell Delivery media when using cerebellar granule neurons. Transfection efficiency and cell viability was comparable between the two media. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Delivery of siRNA in Neurobasal™ media facilitates increased specificity of the knockdown compared...... to delivery in Accell Delivery media. The off-target effect observed in Accell Delivery media was not a secondary biological response to downregulation of target, but rather a mixture of specific and non-specific off-target effects. CONCLUSIONS: Specific knockdown of target can be achieved in primary...

  11. Service innovation in glaucoma management: using a Web-based electronic patient record to facilitate virtual specialist supervision of a shared care glaucoma programme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Heathcote R; Diamond, Jeremy P

    2015-03-01

    To assess the importance of specialist supervision in a new model of glaucoma service delivery. An optometrist supported by three technicians managed each glaucoma clinic. Patients underwent testing and clinical examination before the optometrist triaged them into one of five groups: 'normal', 'stable', 'low risk', 'unstable' and 'high risk'. Patient data were uploaded to an electronic medical record to facilitate virtual review by a glaucoma specialist. 24 257 glaucoma reviews at three glaucoma clinics during a 31-month period were analysed. The clinic optometrists and glaucoma specialists had substantial agreement (κ 0.69). 13 patients were identified to be high risk by the glaucoma specialist that had not been identified as such by the optometrist. Glaucoma specialists amended 13% of the optometrists' interim decisions resulting in an overall reduction in review appointments by 2.4%. Employing technicians and optometrists to triage glaucoma patients into groups defined by risk of blindness allows higher risk patients to be directed to a glaucoma specialist. Virtual review allows the glaucoma specialist to remain in overall control while reducing the risk that patients are treated or followed-up unnecessarily. Demand for glaucoma appointments can be reduced allowing scarce medical resources to be directed to patients most in need. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  12. 22 CFR 62.26 - Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Specialists. 62.26 Section 62.26 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND EXCHANGES EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM Specific Program... such areas, for example, as mass media communication, environmental science, youth leadership...

  13. Inter-observer agreement of canine and feline paroxysmal event semiology and classification by veterinary neurology specialists and non-specialists

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Packer, Rowena M A; Berendt, Mette; Bhatti, Sofie

    2015-01-01

    neurology specialists and non-specialists) on the description and classification of videos depicting paroxysmal events, without knowing any results of diagnostic workup. An online questionnaire study was conducted, where participants watched 100 videos of dogs and cats exhibiting paroxysmal events...... low levels of agreement described here highlight the need for further discussions between neurology experts regarding classifying and describing epileptic seizures, and additional training of non-specialists to facilitate accurate diagnosis. There is a need for diagnostic tools (e...

  14. Social Media Self-Efficacy of Health Education Specialists: Training and Organizational Development Implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alber, Julia M; Paige, Samantha; Stellefson, Michael; Bernhardt, Jay M

    2016-11-01

    A growing number of public health organizations are applying the power of social media (SM) for health promotion and behavior change. This cross-sectional study of health education specialists (n = 353) examined which demographic and occupational factors were associated with SM self-efficacy, and evaluated SM self-efficacy related to each of the Seven Areas of Responsibility. A series of one-way analyses of variance were conducted to determine whether differences in SM self-efficacy existed by sex, age, years of work experience, and SM access at work. A multiple linear regression examined the relationship between SM self-efficacy and SM experience when controlling for demographic and occupational factors. Statistically significant differences in SM self-efficacy existed by age, F(2, 289) = 6.54, p = .002. SM experience (β = 1.43, t = 11.35, p education research and practice. © 2016 Society for Public Health Education.

  15. Media Komunitas dan Media Literacy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pawito .

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract:This essay deals with community media in relation to media literacy. After a short discussion on a number of community media characters is made the essay goes further with somewhat detail theoretical presumptions of the roles of media community with respect primarily to the development as Amartya Sen mentioned about. The author suggests that community media may play some significant roles in the development including (a disseminating information (from varieties of perspective, (b facilitating public discussion, (c helping to reach solutions of problems, (d encouraging participations, and (e encouraging the development of media literacy. Regarding the last point the author remarks that media community may have a dual-roles i.e facilitating community’s member in media participation and facilitating community’s member in media education.

  16. Foursquare: A Health Education Specialist Checks-In--A Commentary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haithcox-Dennis, Melissa

    2011-01-01

    More and more, health education specialists are integrating technology into their work. Whereas most are familiar with social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, one relatively new form of social media, location based services (LBS), may be less familiar. Developed in 2000, LBS are software applications that are accessible from a…

  17. Positive experiences with a specialist as facilitator in general practice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kousgaard, Marius Brostrøm; Thorsen, Thorkil

    2012-01-01

    The use of facilitators for quality improvement in general practice has accelerated during the past decade. As general practitioners (GPs) or pharmacists have typically been used as facilitators, there is a lack of knowledge of how other professionals function as facilitators. This article explores...

  18. Current Technology Trends for School Library Media Specialists

    OpenAIRE

    Leticia Ekhaml; Joan Hubbard

    2003-01-01

    An overview of some of the current technology trends used in classroom instruction and school library media centers in provided in this article such as the use of handheld electronic organizers, CD recorders, digital video cameras, and interactive whiteboards. The article offers some suggestions or ideas on how to acquire new technologies to school library media centers that are low in budgetary funds.

  19. Current Technology Trends for School Library Media Specialists

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leticia Ekhaml

    2003-03-01

    Full Text Available An overview of some of the current technology trends used in classroom instruction and school library media centers in provided in this article such as the use of handheld electronic organizers, CD recorders, digital video cameras, and interactive whiteboards. The article offers some suggestions or ideas on how to acquire new technologies to school library media centers that are low in budgetary funds.

  20. Gender, Social Change and the Media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    The book introduces the recent complex development trajectory of Nepal. The first part consist of a number of specialist contributions on gender, social change and media; while the second is focused more specifically on the role of art and theater in its societal context.......The book introduces the recent complex development trajectory of Nepal. The first part consist of a number of specialist contributions on gender, social change and media; while the second is focused more specifically on the role of art and theater in its societal context....

  1. Nuclear criticality safety specialist training and qualification programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hopper, C.M.

    1993-01-01

    Since the beginning of the Nuclear Criticality Safety Division of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) in 1967, the nuclear criticality safety (NCS) community has sought to provide an exchange of information at a national level to facilitate the education and development of NCS specialists. In addition, individual criticality safety organizations within government contractor and licensed commercial nonreactor facilities have developed training and qualification programs for their NCS specialists. However, there has been substantial variability in the content and quality of these program requirements and personnel qualifications, at least as measured within the government contractor community. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief, general history of staff training and to describe the current direction and focus of US DOE guidance for the content of training and qualification programs designed to develop NCS specialists

  2. Preceptor development. Use a staff development specialist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneller, S; Hoeppner, M

    1994-01-01

    Preceptor orientation is a well identified need. Less often identified is the critical role the staff development specialist plays in the ongoing support and development of preceptors. In this article, the authors explain activities of coaching, facilitating, mentoring, and consulting. These role components are essential in the ongoing development of preceptors. This support also may help retain preceptors.

  3. Pediatric Specialists

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Healthy Children > Family Life > Medical Home > Pediatric Specialists Pediatric Specialists Article Body ​Your pediatrician may refer your child to a pediatric specialist for further evaluation and treatment. Pediatric specialists ...

  4. Think Stoma Nurse: a tool to trigger referral to specialist care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanley, Judy; Adams, Jane

    This article describes the initial development and subsequent evolution of a simple referral assessment tool for stoma care. The first author's personal experience identified that there was widespread inconsistency in perceptions of local multidisciplinary teams as to when it was appropriate to refer to specific specialist nursing teams. This resulted in both inappropriate and delayed referrals. A 'Think Specialist Nurse' initiative was developed across the author's trust, building on the traffic light template from the 'ThinkGlucose' tool, to facilitate referrals to clinical nurse specialists. The stoma-care specific tool, 'Think Stoma Nurse', has subsequently evolved beyond its initial audience, and has been adapted into materials aimed at patients and carers.

  5. Using social media to facilitate knowledge transfer in complex engineering environments: a primer for educators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Glen; Salomone, Sonia

    2013-03-01

    While highly cohesive groups are potentially advantageous they are also often correlated with the emergence of knowledge and information silos based around those same functional or occupational clusters. Consequently, an essential challenge for engineering organisations wishing to overcome informational silos is to implement mechanisms that facilitate, encourage and sustain interactions between otherwise disconnected groups. This paper acts as a primer for those seeking to gain an understanding of the design, functionality and utility of a suite of software tools generically termed social media technologies in the context of optimising the management of tacit engineering knowledge. Underpinned by knowledge management theory and using detailed case examples, this paper explores how social media technologies achieve such goals, allowing for the transfer of knowledge by tapping into the tacit and explicit knowledge of disparate groups in complex engineering environments.

  6. Role of the Library Media Specialist in Greening the Curriculum: A Community-Based Approach to Teaching 21st Century Skills outside of the School Library through the Practice of Urban Agriculture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torrise, Michelle L.

    2010-01-01

    Some of the author's most valuable experiences as a library media specialist (LMS) were not in a school library. Rather, they were on the streets of Chicago, in community gardens, and on the rooftops of buildings in Humboldt Park, where she was hired by the University of Illinois Community Informatics Initiative as a graduate assistant and LMS in…

  7. Innovative Education? A Test of Specialist Mimicry or Generalist Assimilation in Trends in Charter School Specialization over Time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renzulli, Linda A.; Barr, Ashley B.; Paino, Maria

    2015-01-01

    By most media accounts, charter schools are innovative schools. But little empirical work interrogates this idea. We examine the growth and decline of specialist charter school mission statements as one indicator of innovation. In line with theories of resource partitioning, we find that specialist charter school missions--those asserting…

  8. Multicultural Aspects of Library Media Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latrobe, Kathy Howard, Comp.; Laughlin, Mildred Knight, Comp.

    Designed to help library media specialists, as well as administrators, teachers, and parents, develop a greater sensitivity to the multicultural problems and issues that young people face in schools, this collection of essays offers diverse perspectives on multicultural issues in the media program. The four main sections of the book and the essays…

  9. Expected roles and utilization of specialist nurses in Japan: the nurse administrators' perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onishi, Mami; Kanda, Katsuya

    2010-04-01

    This study explored (1) expected roles for specialist nurses in Japan and (2) nurse administrators' experience-based management strategies for effective implementation of these roles. Background In Japan, specialist nurses have begun to be recognized as valuable human resources. However, managerial issues in utilizing specialist nurses, including unclear roles and lack of reports on effective management strategies, remain. Three focus-group discussions were conducted. Nine nurse administrators participated. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis techniques. The expected roles for specialist nurses were: (1) facilitating general nurses' learning; (2) monitoring and improving the patient care standard; and (3) developing new roles for nursing. Two management strategies were: (1) enhancing specialist nurses' influence, and (2) enhancing specialist nurses' motivation. Specialist nurses are important human resources able to assume responsibility for process improvement in nursing care. Effective ways to enhance specialist nurses' influence and motivation include developing their management and communication skills, and coordinating their workload and relationships with other health care professionals. Process improvement indicators may be useful for evaluating specialist nurses' work. Nurse administrators can contribute to effective implementation of specialist nurses' roles not only by clarifying their roles but also by empowering them to keep up with changing organizational needs.

  10. Quality Implementation in Transition: A Framework for Specialists and Administrators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wald, Judy L.; Repetto, Jeanne B.

    1995-01-01

    Quality Implementation in Transition is a framework designed to guide transition specialists and administrators in the implementation of total quality management. The framework uses the tenets set forth by W. Edwards Deming and is intended to help professionals facilitate change within transition programs. (Author/JOW)

  11. The integration and evaluation of a social-media facilitated journal club to enhance the student learning experience of evidence-based practice: A case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferguson, Caleb; DiGiacomo, Michelle; Gholizadeh, Leila; Ferguson, Leila E; Hickman, Louise D

    2017-01-01

    Nurses are required to interpret and apply knowledge so communities will receive care based on best available evidence, as opposed to care that is simply based on tradition or authority. Fostering nursing students' critical appraisal skills will assist in their capacity to engage with, interpret and use best evidence. Journal clubs are frequently used approach to engage learners with research and develop critical appraisal skills. Given new flipped and blended approaches to teaching and learning there is need to rejuvenate how research is utilised and integrated within journal clubs to maximise engagement and translation of evidence. This paper provides a case study of a single site Australian university experience of transitioning a traditional physical journal club, to a social media-facilitated club within a postgraduate health subject to stimulate and facilitate engagement with the chosen manuscripts. This case study is based on our own experiences, supported by literature and includes qualitative comments obtained via student feedback surveys during November 2015. Case study. Social media-facilitated journal clubs offer an efficient way to continue developing critical appraisal skills in nursing students. The integration of a social media-facilitated journal clubs increased student attention, engagement with presented activities and overall student satisfaction within this evidence-based practice subject. Future rigorously-designed, large-scale studies are required to evaluate the impact of online journal clubs on the uptake of evidence-based practice, including those resulting in improved patient outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Ward social workers' views of what facilitates or hinders collaboration with specialist palliative care team social workers: A grounded theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Firn, Janice; Preston, Nancy; Walshe, Catherine

    2017-07-14

    Inpatient, generalist social workers in discharge planning roles work alongside specialist palliative care social workers to care for patients, often resulting in two social workers being concurrently involved in the same patient's care. Previous studies identifying components of effective collaboration, which impacts patient outcomes, care efficiency, professional job satisfaction, and healthcare costs, were conducted with nurses and physicians but not social workers. This study explores ward social workers' perceptions of what facilitates or hinders collaboration with palliative care social workers. Grounded theory was used to explore the research aim. In-depth qualitative interviews with masters trained ward social workers (n = 14) working in six hospitals located in the Midwest, United States were conducted between February 2014 and January 2015. A theoretical model of ward social workers' collaboration with palliative care social workers was developed. The emerging model of collaboration consists of: 1) trust, which is comprised of a) ability, b) benevolence, and c) integrity, 2) information sharing, and 3) role negotiation. Effective collaboration occurs when all elements of the model are present. Collaboration is facilitated when ward social workers' perceptions of trust are high, pertinent information is communicated in a time-sensitive manner, and a flexible approach to roles is taken. The theoretical model of collaboration can inform organisational policy and social work clinical practice guidelines, and may be of use to other healthcare professionals, as improvements in collaboration among healthcare providers may have a positive impact on patient outcomes.

  13. Recruiting to cohort studies in specialist healthcare services: Lessons learned from clinical research nurses in UK cleft services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zucchelli, Fabio; Rumsey, Nichola; Humphries, Kerry; Bennett, Rhiannon; Davies, Amy; Sandy, Jonathan; Stock, Nicola Marie

    2018-03-01

    To explore the experiences of clinical research nurses recruiting patients in a large specialist care-based cohort study. Longitudinal studies are vital to better understand the aetiology and moderators of health conditions. This need is especially salient for congenital conditions, such as cleft lip and/or palate, where establishing large, comprehensive data sets from birth is vital to improve understanding and to inform interventions. Various barriers exist in recruiting patients to large cohort studies. The role of clinical research nurses embedded within health settings has grown over past decades to facilitate data collection, yet challenges remain. Qualitative descriptive study. Individual semi-structured interviews with 12 clinical research nurses based in 10 National Health Service cleft services across the UK, recruiting to the Cleft Collective Birth Cohort Study. Of seven emergent themes, three highlighted challenges to recruiting patients, another three described facilitative factors, and one theme overlapped challenges and facilitators. Challenges included the life circumstances of potential participants; language barriers; and limited clinical research nurse time for study. Facilitative factors included integrating research into clinical practice; patient information shared with clinical research nurses; and support from the university-based research study team. The theme "Method of data collection" related to both challenges and facilitators. The qualitative data from clinical research nurses recruiting to a large birth cohort study provide helpful practical detail for specialist healthcare teams, specialist nurses, clinical research nurses and researchers looking to optimise recruitment and data collection in longitudinal studies. The findings suggest the importance of specialist clinical services and research study teams cooperating to embed research into everyday clinical practice, without compromising care. This should facilitate patients

  14. Never Too Old for Stories (Tales of a High School Information Specialist).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fifield, Carol

    1996-01-01

    A high school library media specialist uses storytelling regularly in her oral presentations for students. For an audience of adolescents, stories need to be selected carefully and edited to keep the action moving. Music and character voices are effective in capturing and holding teenagers' attention. Storytelling is a tool for curriculum…

  15. Use of a pharmacy technician to facilitate postfracture care provided by clinical pharmacy specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irwin, Adriane N; Heilmann, Rachel M F; Gerrity, Theresa M; Kroner, Beverly A; Olson, Kari L

    2014-12-01

    The ability of a pharmacy technician to support the patient screening and documentation-related functions of a pharmacist-driven osteoporosis management service was evaluated. A two-phase prospective study was conducted within a large integrated health system to assess a pharmacy technician's performance in supporting a multisite team of clinical pharmacy specialists providing postfracture care. In phase I of the study, a specially trained pharmacy technician provided support to pharmacists at five participating medical offices, helping to identify patients requiring pharmacist intervention and, when applicable, collecting patient-specific clinical information from the electronic health record. In phase II of the study, the amount of pharmacist time saved through the use of technician support versus usual care was evaluated. The records of 127 patient cases were reviewed by the pharmacy technician during phase I of the study, and a pharmacist agreed with the technician's determination of the need for intervention in the majority of instances (92.9%). An additional 91 patient cases were reviewed by the technician in phase II of the research. With technician support, pharmacists spent less time reviewing cases subsequently determined as not requiring intervention (mean ± S.D., 5.0 ± 3.8 minutes per case compared with 5.2 ± 4.5 minutes under the usual care model; p = 0.78). In cases requiring intervention, technician support was associated with a reduction in the average pharmacist time spent on care plan development (13.5 ± 7.1 minutes versus 18.2 ± 16.6 minutes with usual care, p = 0.34). The study results suggest that a pharmacy technician can accurately determine if a patient is a candidate for pharmacist intervention and collect clinical information to facilitate care plan development. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Burns education for non-burn specialist clinicians in Western Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McWilliams, Tania; Hendricks, Joyce; Twigg, Di; Wood, Fiona

    2015-03-01

    Burn patients often receive their initial care by non-burn specialist clinicians, with increasingly collaborative burn models of care. The provision of relevant and accessible education for these clinicians is therefore vital for optimal patient care. A two phase design was used. A state-wide survey of multidisciplinary non-burn specialist clinicians throughout Western Australia identified learning needs related to paediatric burn care. A targeted education programme was developed and delivered live via videoconference. Pre-post-test analysis evaluated changes in knowledge as a result of attendance at each education session. Non-burn specialist clinicians identified numerous areas of burn care relevant to their practice. Statistically significant differences between perceived relevance of care and confidence in care provision were reported for aspects of acute burn care. Following attendance at the education sessions, statistically significant increases in knowledge were noted for most areas of acute burn care. Identification of learning needs facilitated the development of a targeted education programme for non-burn specialist clinicians. Increased non-burn specialist clinician knowledge following attendance at most education sessions supports the use of videoconferencing as an acceptable and effective method of delivering burns education in Western Australia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

  17. Conference Review - Languages & The Media, 6th International Conference & Exhibition on Language Transfer in Audiovisual Media, October 25-27, 2006, Berlin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ellen Christoffersen

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The participants of the conference, which had as its theme “Free Access – Priceless Rights?”, were professionals involved in subtitling, voice-over or translation, language industry specialists, distributors of audiovisual media products, producers of media programmes, broadcasters, researchers and representatives of viewer organisations.

  18. Conference Review - Languages & The Media, 6th International Conference & Exhibition on Language Transfer in Audiovisual Media, October 25-27, 2006, Berlin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ellen Christoffersen

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available The participants of the conference, which had as its theme “Free Access – Priceless Rights?”, were professionals involved in subtitling, voice-over or translation, language industry specialists, distributors of audiovisual media products, producers of media programmes, broadcasters, researchers and representatives of viewer organisations.

  19. Social education of youth with mass media

    OpenAIRE

    Ryazanova A.; Zakirova A.

    2017-01-01

    This article reveals the influence of mass media; the concepts of education, the distinctive influence and different types, methods and mechanisms of mass media. The object of the study is the social education of young people. The subject is the synthesis of social educator’s work with the youth using the mass media. The aim of the work is to analyze the social educator’s work. Methods: theoretical analysis of literature, work’s synthesis of the specialist.

  20. Curricula for Media Literacy Education According to International Experts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fedorov, Alexander; Levitskaya, Anastasia; Camarero, Emma

    2016-01-01

    The article analyzes the results of the international experts' survey regarding the curriculum of media literacy education, which was administrated by the authors in September-October 2015. The expert panel includes specialists actively involved in the real process of media literacy education in schools, universities and other educational…

  1. Planning for the Automation of School Library Media Centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caffarella, Edward P.

    1996-01-01

    Geared for school library media specialists whose centers are in the early stages of automation or conversion to a new system, this article focuses on major components of media center automation: circulation control; online public access catalogs; machine readable cataloging; retrospective conversion of print catalog cards; and computer networks…

  2. Library Media Services. Multicultural Nonsexist Education in Iowa Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iowa State Dept. of Public Instruction, Des Moines.

    Intended as an aid for Iowa school library media specialists, this pamphlet identifies resources and provides guidelines for the development of multicultural, nonsexist (MC-NS) school library media programs. Definitions of terms used in the pamphlet are given. The rationale and philosophy underlying elementary and secondary curricula design are…

  3. Civic Engagement and Social Media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    The recent wave of protests, from the Arab Spring to the Occupy movement and austerity protests, have reinvigorated hopes for the democratic potential of the Internet, and particularly social media. With their popular appeal and multimodal affordances social media such as YouTube, Twitter...... and Facebook have generated both media and scholarly interest in their possibilities for granting visibility to and facilitating the organization of activism. However, the role of social media in sustaining civic engagement beyond protest and fatalism remains under-explored. How can social media contribute...... to sustaining longer-term involvement of civil society? What is the potential of social media for making available alternative social imaginaries? And what role may social media play in facilitating social change through cooperation with business? This volume offers answers to these questions by providing...

  4. Promoting Books and Media: A Native American Indian Web.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brodie, Carolyn S.

    1991-01-01

    Discusses children's literature on Native American Indians and suggests ideas for using the literature in the school library media center or classroom by the library media specialist or by the classroom teacher. Activities and appropriate materials are suggested for the topics of housing, poetry, food, biography, crafts and music, and traditional…

  5. The balance between generalists and specialists in the Medialogy education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rolf Nordahl

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we discuss the tradeoff between educating specialists and generalists in the Medialogy Master education at Aalborg University in Copenhagen. The Medialogy education was established in 2002 with the goal to combine technology and creativity in designing, implementing and evaluating media technology applications. The curriculum of the education has been through several revisions, the last of which, discussed in this paper, was performed during the Spring 2011.

  6. Transforming the Hidden Curriculum: Gender and the Library Media Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crew, Hilary S.

    1998-01-01

    Library media specialists are critically positioned to make a significant contribution to instituting gender-fair practices within a school. This article discusses instructional materials, curriculum, and collection development; gender culture and the media center; sports, gender, and different ways of knowing; and science, gender, and different…

  7. The MEDIA model: An innovative method for digitizing and training community members to facilitate an HIV prevention intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renfro, Tiffaney; Johnson, Erin; Lambert, Danielle N; Wingood, Gina; DiClemente, Ralph J

    2018-02-17

    As human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to disproportionately affect African American women, practitioners remain committed to developing innovative strategies to reduce HIV prevalence. These strategies include training community organizations, such as churches, and utilizing digital media to make intervention dissemination more sustainable. This article describes one such effort to train lay community members within predominantly Black churches in Atlanta, GA, to implement an HIV prevention intervention. Lay educators were trained by translating a face-to-face Training of Facilitators (TOF) to a digital platform using the MEDIA (Motivate-Engage-Digitize-Implement-Assess) model. Formative evaluations, consultation with experts in the digital platform of choice, and the experience of two P4 for Women Master Trainers informed our translation. The model guided the translation process as our research team worked alongside topical experts and a production company to develop storyboards for core curriculum activities, which were later scripted and filmed with mock participants. A user guide, toolkit, and program website were also developed as supplemental materials to accompany the video training. Lessons learned from this study indicate future attempts at digitizing TOFs should keep in mind that digitization can be a time-consuming process, pilot testing in the new format is necessary even for a previously tested intervention, and the structure provided by facilitators in face-to-face training must be embedded into the format of digitized trainings.

  8. Selection and Evaluation of Media for Behavioral Health Interventions Employing Critical Media Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Patrick A; Cherenack, Emily M; Jadwin-Cakmak, Laura; Harper, Gary W

    2018-01-01

    Although a growing number of psychosocial health promotion interventions use the critical analysis of media to facilitate behavior change, no specific guidelines exist to assist researchers and practitioners in the selection and evaluation of culturally relevant media stimuli for intervention development. Mobilizing Our Voices for Empowerment is a critical consciousness-based health enhancement intervention for HIV-positive Black young gay/bisexual men that employs the critical analysis of popular media. In the process of developing and testing this intervention, feedback on media stimuli was collected from youth advisory board members (n = 8), focus group participants (n = 19), intervention participants (n = 40), and intervention facilitators (n = 6). A thematic analysis of qualitative data resulted in the identification of four key attributes of media stimuli and participants' responses to media stimuli that are important to consider when selecting and evaluating media stimuli for use in behavioral health interventions employing the critical analysis of media: comprehension, relevance, emotionality, and action. These four attributes are defined and presented as a framework for evaluating media, and adaptable tools are provided based on this framework to guide researchers and practitioners in the selection and evaluation of media for similar interventions.

  9. Infectious Disease Specialist: What Is an Infectious Disease Specialist?

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... medical professionals? When do I need an ID specialist? Many common infections can be treated by your ... diseases. Back to Top How was my ID specialist trained? Your ID Physician has 9-10 years ...

  10. 25 CFR 36.40 - Standard XIII-Library/media program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... philosophy. The librarian or educational media specialist, with students and staff, shall set objectives... the following: Tactile objects, globes, models, maps, films, film-strips, microforms, slides, audio...

  11. Managing patients with heart failure: a qualitative study of multidisciplinary teams with specialist heart failure nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glogowska, Margaret; Simmonds, Rosemary; McLachlan, Sarah; Cramer, Helen; Sanders, Tom; Johnson, Rachel; Kadam, Umesh T; Lasserson, Daniel S; Purdy, Sarah

    2015-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of health care clinicians working in multidisciplinary teams that include specialist heart failure nurses when caring for the management of heart failure patients. We used a qualitative in-depth interview study nested in a broader ethnographic study of unplanned admissions in heart failure patients (HoldFAST). We interviewed 24 clinicians across primary, secondary, and community care in 3 locations in the Midlands, South Central, and South West of England. Within a framework of the role and contribution of the heart failure specialist nurse, our study identified 2 thematic areas that the clinicians agreed still represent particular challenges when working with heart failure patients. The first was communication with patients, in particular explaining the diagnosis and helping patients to understand the condition. The participants recognized that such communication was most effective when they had a long-term relationship with patients and families and that the specialist nurse played an important part in achieving this relationship. The second was communication within the team. Multidisciplinary input was especially needed because of the complexity of many patients and issues around medications, and the participants believed the specialist nurse may facilitate team communication. The study highlights the role of specialist heart failure nurses in delivering education tailored to patients and facilitating better liaison among all clinicians, particularly when dealing with the management of comorbidities and drug regimens. The way in which specialist nurses were able to be caseworkers for their patients was perceived as a method of ensuring coordination and continuity of care. © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

  12. The News Media and the Government: Clash of Concentrated Power.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freedom House, Inc., New York, NY.

    This document brings together news media and constitutional law specialists with past and present government officials to define the areas of conflict and the operative constitutional rules and to devise ways to maximize the flow of information to the public without destructive confrontations between the media and government. Contents include:…

  13. Transition from specialist to primary diabetes care: A qualitative study of perspectives of primary care physicians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liddy Clare

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The growing prevalence of diabetes and heightened awareness of the benefits of early and intensive disease management have increased service demands and expectations not only of primary care physicians but also of diabetes specialists. While research has addressed issues related to referral into specialist care, much less has been published about the transition from diabetes specialists back to primary care. Understanding the concerns of family physicians related to discharge of diabetes care from specialist centers can support the development of strategies that facilitate this transition and result in broader access to limited specialist services. This study was undertaken to explore primary care physician (PCP perspectives and concerns related to reassuming responsibility for diabetes care after referral to a specialized diabetes center. Methods Qualitative data were collected through three focus groups. Sessions were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Data were coded and sorted with themes identified using a constant comparison method. The study was undertaken through the regional academic referral center for adult diabetes care in Ottawa, Canada. Participants included 22 primary care physicians representing a variety of referral frequencies, practice types and settings. Results Participants described facilitators and barriers to successful transition of diabetes care at the provider, patient and systems level. Major facilitators included clear communication of a detailed, structured plan of care, ongoing access to specialist services for advice or re-referral, continuing education and mentoring for PCPs. Identified provider barriers were gaps in PCP knowledge and confidence related to diabetes treatment, excessive workload and competing time demands. Systems deterrents included reimbursement policies for health professionals and inadequate funding for diabetes medications and supplies. At the PCP-patient interface

  14. Specialist Bibliographic Databases

    OpenAIRE

    Gasparyan, Armen Yuri; Yessirkepov, Marlen; Voronov, Alexander A.; Trukhachev, Vladimir I.; Kostyukova, Elena I.; Gerasimov, Alexey N.; Kitas, George D.

    2016-01-01

    Specialist bibliographic databases offer essential online tools for researchers and authors who work on specific subjects and perform comprehensive and systematic syntheses of evidence. This article presents examples of the established specialist databases, which may be of interest to those engaged in multidisciplinary science communication. Access to most specialist databases is through subscription schemes and membership in professional associations. Several aggregators of information and d...

  15. The ICT Level of Confidence of Course Specialists in Distance Education: The Polytechnic University of the Philippines Experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline T. SUMANDE

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This study intends to assess the ICT needs of the course specialists at Polytechnic University of the Philippines under the Open University System (PUP-OUS which may be the basis in conducting training on the different applications such as word processing, electronic spread sheet, presentation software, YouTube and etc. for the successful implementation of the community Learning Management System (LMS endeavor in the University. This is also a review of the current practices of the course specialists in the use of ICT to better facilitate teaching and learning process through the LMS or the PUP Open University eMabini Learning Portal. This particularly identifies various training programs that may be considered in order to successfully implement the system. Internally, the quality and success implementation of a certain program can be best determined if both of the faculty members and students had maximized its utility and made a gratifying experience afterwards. The overarching research questions – Are the Course Specialists (CS confident to utilize the LMS in teaching? Are they aware of various eLearning strategies that may help geographically dispersed learners? And what is the extent of eLearning utilization for instructions by the CS? Though a high percentage of course specialists are fully competent with computer applications such as word documents, PDF documents, email, multi-media presentations, e-learning tools for submission of requirements, assessment of students performance, and other systems integrated in handling OU Cyber classes, still the meager percentage of responses stating, “using these systems but need further practice/training” or “not aware of the application” can be alarming for PUP Open University’s goal to achieve pure online implementation in the next few years. This study concludes to create a long-term vision for the future of DE system in the University to best serve its clientele, “the DE students.”

  16. Technostress in Libraries and Media Centers: Case Studies and Coping Strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hickey, Kate D., Ed.

    1992-01-01

    Discusses technostress--i.e., stress brought on by changes in technology--in libraries and media centers. Case studies are presented that show stress in community college libraries caused by the rapid implementation of new technologies; coping strategies for librarians and media specialists are discussed; and strategies for managers are suggested.…

  17. Reconceptualizing Media Literacy in the Social Studies: A Pragmatist Critique of the NCSS Position Statement on Media Literacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mason, Lance; Metzger, Scott Alan

    2012-01-01

    The National Council for the Social Studies Position Statement on Media Literacy argues that media literacy can facilitate participatory democracy if students' interest in media is harnessed. The statement conceives of media technology as neutral and under-conceptualizes socializing aspects of media technologies that foster atomized individualism.…

  18. The STS-95 crew participates in a media briefing before returning to JSC

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    The day after their return to Earth on board the orbiter Discovery, members of the STS-95 crew participate in a media briefing at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site Auditorium before returning to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. From left to right are Lisa Malone, moderator and chief of NASA Public Affairs' Media Services at Kennedy Space Center; Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr.; Pilot Steven W. Lindsey; Mission Specialist and Payload Commander Stephen K. Robinson; Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski; Mission Specialist Pedro Duque, with the European Space Agency (ESA); Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA); and Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., a senator from Ohio and one of the original seven Project Mercury astronauts. The STS-95 mission ended with landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility at 12:04 p.m. EST on Nov. 7. The mission included research payloads such as the Spartan-201 solar- observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as a SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process.

  19. The Amount of Media and Information Literacy Among Isfahan University of Medical Sciences' Students Using Iranian Media and Information Literacy Questionnaire (IMILQ).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashrafi-Rizi, Hasan; Ramezani, Amir; Koupaei, Hamed Aghajani; Kazempour, Zahra

    2014-12-01

    Media and Information literacy (MIL) enables people to interpret and make informed judgments as users of information and media, as well as to become skillful creators and producers of information and media messages in their own right. The purpose of this research was to determine the amount of Media and Information Literacy among Isfahan University of Medical Sciences' students using Iranian Media and Information Literacy Questionnaire (IMILQ). This is an applied analytical survey research in which the data were collected by a researcher made questionnaire, provided based on specialists' viewpoints and valid scientific works. Its validity and reliability were confirmed by Library and Information Sciences specialists and Cronbach's alpha (r=0.89) respectively. Statistical population consisted of all students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (6000 cases) and the samples were 361. Sampling method was random stratified sampling. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings showed that the mean level of Media and Information Literacy among Isfahan University of Medical Sciences' students was 3.34±0.444 (higher than average). The highest mean was promotion of scientific degree with 3.84±0.975 and the lowest mean was difficulties in starting research with 2.50±1.08. There was significant difference between educational degree, college type and family's income and amount of Media and Information Literacy. The results showed that the students didn't have enough skills in starting the research, defining the research subject as well as confining the research subject. In general, all students and education practitioners should pay special attention to factors affecting in improving Media and Information Literacy as a main capability in using printed and electronic media.

  20. From Humanizing the Educational Process to Professionally Mobile Specialists Training

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. A. Fugelova

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Training professional mobile specialists capable of responding flexibly to dynamic changes in society is considered to be the most important issue of the modern educational system. The paper justifies the idea that technical universities should take responsibility for solving this problem by means of humanization of technical education, which implies reconsidering its values and general notions. For overcoming the technocratic trends, the author recommends to cultivate the value of professionalism in the humanization context.Professionalism is defined by using the «professional service» idea as a «purpose acknowledgment, supertask, even a mission». The main components of the above attitude lie in finding the harmony with the world and its basic values. Therefore, technical universities face the challenge of training people of intelligence with a high moral and business responsibility. The basic value of such a person is regarded as «dedication to the cause» - the constant desire to improve the world and leave behind them- selves something of value to society. For training such specialists, the educational process should provide teachers dialogue and collaboration with students to facilitate the process of self-determination and self-development of the prospective specialists

  1. Using technology to improve access to specialist care in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobson, Esther V; Baird, Wendy O; Cooper, Cindy L; Mawson, Sue; Shaw, Pamela J; Mcdermott, Christopher J

    2016-01-01

    Our objective was to review the evidence for using technology to improve access to specialist care for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and their carers. Medline, Google Scholar and the Cochrane library were searched for articles describing technology that enabled clinical care of patients with ALS or their carers where the patient/carer and clinician were not in the same location. Two applications were identified: telemedicine to facilitate video conferencing as an alternative to outpatient consultations and telehealth monitoring for patients with respiratory failure. One randomized controlled trial using telehealth in patients with respiratory failure including 22 patients with ALS was identified. While rates of hospitalization were reduced, overall mortality was unchanged and there were too few patients with ALS in the study to detect significant benefit. In conclusion, there is limited evidence to support the use of telemedicine or telehealth in the care of patients with ALS. Future research needs to develop an understanding of the key beneficial aspects of the traditional specialist ALS service and how these factors could be delivered using technology. Successful evaluation and implementation of technologies to facilitate access to specialist care will only be possible if all the relevant impacts of an intervention are understood and measured.

  2. A Comparison of Selected Supervisory Skills of Content Specialist and Non-Content Specialist University Supervisors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, Kevin; Mitchell, Murray; Maina, Michael; Griffin, Lisa

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to describe and contrast selected approaches to the supervision of student teachers between Content Specialist and Non-Content Specialist university supervisors. Content Specialist supervisors were identified as trained university supervisors with a background in physical education. Non-Content Specialist supervisors…

  3. Flipping the Class: A New Media Pedagogy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arduser, Lora

    2016-01-01

    Business communication evolves and adapts to suit the times, and today's workplace documents are increasingly multimodal. Therefore, business and professional communication specialists need to adapt to a new media workplace ecology--one that requires proficiencies with technologies such as video production, digital animation, and sound. Business…

  4. Facilitation of alumni engagement through social media

    OpenAIRE

    Tervala, Johanna

    2016-01-01

    This master’s thesis study is an explanatory study aiming to formulate a strategy implementation plan for alumni engagement through social media communication for Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences Alumni network. The Haaga-Helia Alumni network currently often loses the contact to international graduates without first being able to involve them in the alumni activities. The network, however, would have a lot to gain from having active alumni, as well as a lot to offer to the alumni...

  5. Serving Special Needs Students in the School Library Media Center. Greenwood Professional Guides in School Librarianship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wesson, Caren L., Ed.; Keefe, Margaret J., Ed.

    This collection of papers considers how the school library media specialist serves special needs students and classroom teachers in multiple roles as teacher, information specialist, and instructional consultant or collaborator. Included are the following papers: "Teaching Library and Information Skills to Special Needs Students" (Caren…

  6. The predictability of phytophagous insect communities: host specialists as habitat specialists.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jörg Müller

    Full Text Available The difficulties specialized phytophagous insects face in finding habitats with an appropriate host should constrain their dispersal. Within the concept of metacommunities, this leads to the prediction that host-plant specialists should sort into local assemblages according to the local environmental conditions, i.e. habitat conditions, whereas assemblages of host-plant generalists should depend also on regional processes. Our study aimed at ranking the importance of local environmental factors and species composition of the vegetation for predicting the species composition of phytophagous moth assemblages with either a narrow or a broad host range. Our database consists of 351,506 specimens representing 820 species of nocturnal Macrolepidoptera sampled between 1980 and 2006 using light traps in 96 strict forest reserves in southern Germany. Species were grouped as specialists or generalists according to the food plants of the larvae; specialists use host plants belonging to one genus. We used predictive canonical correspondence and co-correspondence analyses to rank the importance of local environmental factors, the species composition of the vegetation and the role of host plants for predicting the species composition of host-plant specialists and generalists. The cross-validatory fit for predicting the species composition of phytophagous moths was higher for host-plant specialists than for host-plant generalists using environmental factors as well as the composition of the vegetation. As expected for host-plant specialists, the species composition of the vegetation was a better predictor of the composition of these assemblages than the environmental variables. But surprisingly, this difference for specialized insects was not due to the occurrence of their host plants. Overall, our study supports the idea that owing to evolutionary constraints in finding a host, host-plant specialists and host-plant generalists follow two different models of

  7. Differences in quality standards when prescribing nutritional support: Differences between specialist and non-specialist physicians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morán López, Jesús Manuel; Piedra León, María; Enciso Izquierdo, Fidel Jesús; Luengo Pérez, Luis Miguel; Amado Señaris, José Antonio

    2016-01-01

    Adequate nutritional support includes many different aspects, but poor understanding of clinical nutrition by health care professionales often results in an inadequate prescription. A study was conducted to compare enteral and parenteral nutritional support plans prescribed by specialist and non-specialist physicians. Non-specialist physicians recorded anthropometric data from only 13.3% of patients, and none of them performed nutritional assessments. Protein amounts provided by non-specialist physicians were lower than estimated based on ESPEN (10.29g of nitrogen vs 14.62; Pspecialist group (14.88g of nitrogen; P=.072). Calorie and glutamine provision and laboratory controls prescribed by specialists were significantly closer to those recommended by clinical guidelines. Nutritional support prescribed by specialists in endocrinology and nutrition at San Pedro de Alcántara Hospital was closer to clinical practice guideline standards and of higher quality as compared to that prescribed by non-specialists. Copyright © 2015 SEEN. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  8. Media Literacy Function in Critical Blogs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fedorov, Alexander; Levitskaya, Anastasia

    2015-01-01

    The Internet is widely recognized as playing an important role in facilitating education on a range of issues, including media literacy. Analyzing the media critical activity of contemporary Russian bloggers, the authors of the article reveal the following reasons for popularity or, on the contrary, unpopularity of blogger's media criticism:…

  9. Facilitating Watermark Insertion by Preprocessing Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matt L. Miller

    2004-10-01

    Full Text Available There are several watermarking applications that require the deployment of a very large number of watermark embedders. These applications often have severe budgetary constraints that limit the computation resources that are available. Under these circumstances, only simple embedding algorithms can be deployed, which have limited performance. In order to improve performance, we propose preprocessing the original media. It is envisaged that this preprocessing occurs during content creation and has no budgetary or computational constraints. Preprocessing combined with simple embedding creates a watermarked Work, the performance of which exceeds that of simple embedding alone. However, this performance improvement is obtained without any increase in the computational complexity of the embedder. Rather, the additional computational burden is shifted to the preprocessing stage. A simple example of this procedure is described and experimental results confirm our assertions.

  10. Malta’s specialist training programme in family medicine : a pre-implementation evaluation

    OpenAIRE

    Sammut, Mario R.

    2009-01-01

    Introduction: As a result of Malta’s EU accession in 2004, family medicine was accepted as a speciality and the Malta College of Family Doctors prepared a Specialist Training Programme in Family Medicine. To facilitate its launch, potential GP trainers and trainees participated in its preimplementation evaluation. Method: Participants’ views were gathered quantitatively through a questionnaire using scales to rate closed statements regarding the programme and its sections. Qualitative openend...

  11. Social media is a necessary component of surgery practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steele, Scott R; Arshad, Seyed; Bush, Ruth; Dasani, Serena; Cologne, Kyle; Bleier, Joshua I S; Raphaeli, Tal; Kelz, Rachel R

    2015-09-01

    Social media is a necessary component of the practice of surgery. Each surgeon must embrace the power and potential of social media and serve as a guide or content expert for patients and other health care providers to facilitate and share responsible use of the various media available. Social media facilitates rapid communication of information not only across providers but also between patients and providers. The power of social media has the potential to improve consultation and collaboration, facilitate patient education, and expand research efforts; moreover, by harnessing its potential, the appropriate use of many of the avenues of social media also can be used to disseminate campaigns to increase disease awareness and communicate new research findings and best-practice guidelines. Because its reach is so broad within as well as outside the censorship of medical experts, professional oversight and engagement is required to maximize responsible use. Staying consistent with our history of surgery, rich in innovation and technologic advancement, surgeons must get to the front of this evolving field and direct the path of social media as it applies to the practice of surgery rather than take a passive role. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  12. 48 CFR 552.236-72 - Specialist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Specialist. 552.236-72... FORMS SOLICITATION PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 552.236-72 Specialist. As prescribed in 536.570-3, insert the following clause: Specialist (APR 1984) The term “Specialist...

  13. Perceptions on the Effectiveness of Communication between Public Institutions and Journalists through Social Media

    OpenAIRE

    Mihaela Păun

    2009-01-01

    This article presents the challenges and opportunities of social media for public institutions and argues that the designing and implementing government public relations using social media involves more than merely having another communication channel for publics. I will explain the “social media”, the differences between social media and electronic-Public Relations - E-PR, and the communication between public institutions and journalists. The interviews with journalists or with PR specialist...

  14. Subsidies to target specialist outreach services into more remote locations: a national cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Sullivan, Belinda G; McGrail, Matthew R; Stoelwinder, Johannes U

    2017-07-01

    Objective Targeting rural outreach services to areas of highest relative need is challenging because of the higher costs it imposes on health workers to travel longer distances. This paper studied whether subsidies have the potential to support the provision of specialist outreach services into more remote locations. Methods National data about subsidies for medical specialist outreach providers as part of the Wave 7 Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) Survey in 2014. Results Nearly half received subsidies: 19% (n=110) from a formal policy, namely the Australian Government Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF), and 27% (n=154) from other sources. Subsidised specialists travelled for longer and visited more remote locations relative to the non-subsidised group. In addition, compared with non-subsidised specialists, RHOF-subsidised specialists worked in priority areas and provided equally regular services they intended to continue, despite visiting more remote locations. Conclusion This suggests the RHOF, although limited to one in five specialist outreach providers, is important to increase targeted and stable outreach services in areas of highest relative need. Other subsidies also play a role in facilitating remote service distribution, but may need to be more structured to promote regular, sustained outreach practice. What is known about this topic? There are no studies describing subsidies for specialist doctors to undertake rural outreach work and whether subsidies, including formal and structured subsidies via the Australian Government RHOF, support targeted outreach services compared with no financial support. What does this paper add? Using national data from Australia, we describe subsidisation among specialist outreach providers and show that specialists subsidised via the RHOF or another source are more likely to provide remote outreach services. What are the implications for practitioners? Subsidised specialist outreach providers are

  15. Harnessing the landscape of microbial culture media to predict new organism–media pairings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oberhardt, Matthew A.; Zarecki, Raphy; Gronow, Sabine; Lang, Elke; Klenk, Hans-Peter; Gophna, Uri; Ruppin, Eytan

    2015-01-01

    Culturing microorganisms is a critical step in understanding and utilizing microbial life. Here we map the landscape of existing culture media by extracting natural-language media recipes into a Known Media Database (KOMODO), which includes >18,000 strain–media combinations, >3300 media variants and compound concentrations (the entire collection of the Leibniz Institute DSMZ repository). Using KOMODO, we show that although media are usually tuned for individual strains using biologically common salts, trace metals and vitamins/cofactors are the most differentiating components between defined media of strains within a genus. We leverage KOMODO to predict new organism–media pairings using a transitivity property (74% growth in new in vitro experiments) and a phylogeny-based collaborative filtering tool (83% growth in new in vitro experiments and stronger growth on predicted well-scored versus poorly scored media). These resources are integrated into a web-based platform that predicts media given an organism's 16S rDNA sequence, facilitating future cultivation efforts. PMID:26460590

  16. SLJ's Technology Survey 2006: New Technologies--Like Blogs and Wikis--Are Taking Their Place in the School Media Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewer, Sally; Milam, Peggy

    2006-01-01

    This article presents findings from the School Library Journal's 2006 national technology survey that investigated the trend in today's library media centers. As this study demonstrates, technology continues to be a significant aspect of K-12 media centers. Despite restricted funding and schedules stretched to the limit, media specialists have…

  17. Facilitating Transfers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjær, Poul F.

    to specific logics of temporalisation and spatial expansion of a diverse set of social processes in relation to, for example, the economy, politics, science and the mass media. On this background, the paper will more concretely develop a conceptual framework for classifying different contextual orders...... that the essential functional and normative purpose of regulatory governance is to facilitate, stabilise and justify the transfer of condensed social components (such as economic capital and products, political decisions, legal judgements, religious beliefs and scientific knowledge) from one social contexts...

  18. A brief measure of social media self-control failure

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Du, Jie; van Koningsbruggen, Guido M.; Kerkhof, Peter

    People often fail in controlling their social media use when it conflicts with other goals and obligations. To facilitate research on understanding social media self-control failures, we constructed a brief social media self-control failure (SMSCF)-scale to assess how often social media users give

  19. Social Media in Music Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albert, Daniel J.

    2015-01-01

    Students in the United States use technology and social media platforms for both educational and noneducational purposes. Integration of social media in music education classes can help facilitate learning experiences that would be less likely to happen in a brick-and-mortar setting. However, issues such as privacy and cyberbullying continue to…

  20. Social Media Policies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stohl, Cynthia; Etter, Michael; Banghart, Scott

    2017-01-01

    of these trends is examined through a content analysis of 112 publicly available social media policies from the largest corporations in the world. The extent to which social media policies facilitate and/or constrain the communicative sensibilities and values associated with contemporary notions of CSR...... negotiation and participation in the social responsibilities of corporations. Moreover, policies generally enact organizational communication practices that are contrary to international CSR guidelines (e.g., the UN Global Compact and other international agreements). Findings suggest that social media...... policies represent a relatively unrecognized development in the institutionalization of CSR communicative norms and practices that call into question the promising affordances of social media for the inclusion of various voices in the public negotiation of what constitutes corporate social responsibility....

  1. If a Student Takes Control: Facilitator's Tasks and Responsibilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Väljataga, Terje

    This paper presents initial research results of an intervention into higher educational teaching and studying practices from facilitators‘ point of view. The intervention was implemented into an international Master’s level online course mediated by landscapes of social media tools and services. In this course more emphasis was put on a shift of control from a facilitator to a student or a group of students in the following aspects: setting up one’s study goals, choosing activities, selecting appropriate resources, including technology and defining one’s evaluation criteria. The initial analysis showed that the facilitators gained a lot in terms of understanding the benefits of exploiting social media tools and services for their teaching practices, perceiving a need of having a different role as well as the shortages and problems while being a facilitator in such a course.

  2. Barriers and facilitators influencing self-management among COPD patients: a mixed methods exploration in primary and affiliated specialist care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hillebregt CF

    2016-12-01

    consultation was measured by the patient feedback questionnaire on consultation skills. The patients scored high (84.3% maximum score and differed from the HCPs (26.5% maximum score. Although the patient-centered approach accentuating self-management is one of the dominant paradigms in modern medicine, our observations show several influencing determinants causing difficulties in daily practice implementation. This research is a first step unravelling the determinants of self-management leading to a better understanding. Keywords: self-management, health communication, chronic disease management, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mixed methods, barriers and facilitators, primary health care, specialist care

  3. 14 CFR 1214.305 - Payload specialist responsibilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Payload specialist responsibilities. 1214... Payload Specialists for Space Transportation System (STS) Missions § 1214.305 Payload specialist... commander has ultimate responsibility and authority for all assigned crew duties. The payload specialist is...

  4. Media(ted) fabrications: how the science-media symbiosis helped 'sell' cord banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michelle, Carolyn

    2006-01-01

    This paper considers the problematic role of the science-media symbiosis in the dissemination of misleading and emotionally manipulative information regarding services offered by CordBank, New Zealand's only umbilical cord blood banking facility. As this case study illustrates, the growing reliance of health and science reporters on the knowledge capital of medical specialists, biogenetic researchers, and scientists potentially enhances the ability of 'expert' sources to set the agenda for media representations of emerging medical and scientific developments, and may undermine the editorial independence of journalists and editors, many of whom in this case failed to critically evaluate deeply problematic claims regarding the current and future benefits of cord banking. Heavy reliance on established media frames of anecdotal personalization and technoboosterism also reinforced a proscience journalistic culture in which claims by key sources were uncritically reiterated and amplified, with journalistic assessments of the value of cord banking emphasizing potential benefits for individual consumers. It is argued that use of these media frames potentially detracts from due consideration of the broader social, ethical, legal, and health implications of emerging biomedical developments, along with the professional, personal, and increasingly also financial interests at stake in their public promotion, given the growing commercialization of biogenetic technologies.

  5. Social Media Integration in Secondary Education in Pakistan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Rida

    2016-01-01

    This paper investigates the adequacy of social media implementation in the context of secondary education in Pakistan and highlights the importance and necessity of social media in secondary education. This research has helped in understanding the pros and cons of social media implementation in classrooms and also facilitated in analyzing whether…

  6. 48 CFR 536.570-3 - Specialist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Specialist. 536.570-3... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS Contract Clauses 536.570-3 Specialist. Insert 552.236-72, Specialist, in solicitations and contracts for construction if the technical sections...

  7. Incorporating social media into dermatologic education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ko, Lauren N; Rana, Jasmine; Burgin, Susan

    2017-10-15

    In the current digital age, medical education has slowly evolved from the largely lecture-based teaching style of the past to incorporate more interactive pedagogical techniques, including use of social media. Already used readily by millennial trainees and clinicians, social media can also be used in innovative ways to teach trainees and facilitate continuing education among practicing clinicians. In this commentary, we discuss many learning benefits of social media and review potential pitfalls of employing social media in both trainee and physician dermatological education.

  8. Management Matters. Virtual School Library Media Center Management Manual

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pappas, Marjorie L.

    2005-01-01

    In this article, the author describes a management manual she maintained while working as a school library media specialist. She started the manual when she was a student in the organization and administration course in the library science program and kept it current with information gleaned from conferences, workshops, and networking with other…

  9. Trends in doctor consultations, antibiotic prescription, and specialist referrals for otitis media in children : 1995-2003

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Plasschaert, Astrid I O; Rovers, Maroeska M; Schilder, Anne G M; Verheij, Theo J M; Hak, Eelko

    BACKGROUND: Reported trends regarding the incidence of otitis media and antibiotic prescription rates are inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to assess changes in incidence of consultation rates, antibiotic prescription, and referral rates for otitis media in children over the years 1995-2003.

  10. STS-114: Discovery TCDT Flight Crew Test Media Event at Pad 39-B

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-01-01

    The STS-114 Space Shuttle Discovery Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) flight crew is shown at Pad 39-B. Eileen Collins, Commander introduces the astronauts. Andrew Thomas, mission specialist talks about his primary responsibility of performing boom inspections, Wendy Lawrence, Mission Specialist 4 (MS4) describes her role as the robotic arm operator supporting Extravehicular Activities (EVA), Stephen Robinson, Mission Specialist 3 (MS3) talks about his role as flight engineer, Charlie Camarda, Mission Specialist 5 (MS5) says that his duties are to perform boom operations, transfer operations from the space shuttle to the International Space Station and spacecraft rendezvous. Soichi Noguchi, Mission Specialist 1 (MS1) from JAXA, introduces himself as Extravehicular Activity 1 (EVA1), and Jim Kelley, Pilot will operate the robotic arm and perform pilot duties. Questions from the news media about the safety of the external tank, going to the International Space Station and returning, EVA training, and thoughts about the Space Shuttle Columbia crew are answered.

  11. Social Learning by Design: The Role of Social Media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, Laura

    2009-01-01

    It is no secret that learning has a social context. As library media specialists work with students nearly every day, they take for granted their pedagogical roots in social learning theory based on the premise that students need modeling and observation to learn from one another. Information gathering becomes a key activity, and social…

  12. Automation and Its Funding in the Library Media Centers in Secondary Schools in Georgia: A Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baggett, Ann Utsey

    This report presents the results of a study whose purpose was to determine what automation is present in the library media centers in Georgia secondary schools and how it has been funded. A three-part questionnaire was sent to the media specialists in 50% of the secondary schools in Georgia, which were randomly selected. The analysis of the…

  13. Science and Math in the Library Media Center Using GLOBE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aquino, Teresa L.; Levine, Elissa R.

    2003-01-01

    Describes the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program which helps school library media specialists and science and math teachers bring earth science, math, information literacy, information technology, and student inquiry into the classroom. Discusses use of the Internet to create a global network to study the…

  14. Social media analytics and research testbed (SMART: Exploring spatiotemporal patterns of human dynamics with geo-targeted social media messages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiue-An Yang

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The multilevel model of meme diffusion conceptualizes how mediated messages diffuse over time and space. As a pilot application of implementing the meme diffusion, we developed the social media analytics and research testbed to monitor Twitter messages and track the diffusion of information in and across different cities and geographic regions. Social media analytics and research testbed is an online geo-targeted search and analytics tool, including an automatic data processing procedure at the backend and an interactive frontend user interface. Social media analytics and research testbed is initially designed to facilitate (1 searching and geo-locating tweet topics and terms in different cities and geographic regions; (2 filtering noise from raw data (such as removing redundant retweets and using machine learning methods to improve precision; (3 analyzing social media data from a spatiotemporal perspective; and (4 visualizing social media data in diagnostic ways (such as weekly and monthly trends, trend maps, top media, top retweets, top mentions, or top hashtags. Social media analytics and research testbed provides researchers and domain experts with a tool that can efficiently facilitate the refinement, formalization, and testing of research hypotheses or questions. Three case studies (flu outbreaks, Ebola epidemic, and marijuana legalization are introduced to illustrate how the predictions of meme diffusion can be examined and to demonstrate the potentials and key functions of social media analytics and research testbed.

  15. What Is a Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist?

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Text Size Email Print Share What is a Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist? Page Content Article Body If ... the teen years. What Kind of Training Do Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialists Have? Pediatric infectious diseases specialists ...

  16. What Is a Pediatric Critical Care Specialist?

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Text Size Email Print Share What is a Pediatric Critical Care Specialist? Page Content Article Body If ... in the PICU. What Kind of Training Do Pediatric Critical Care Specialists Have? Pediatric critical care specialists ...

  17. Delayed allergy-like reactions to X-ray contrast media administration focusing on clinical aspects. First expert meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sviridov, N.K.

    1998-01-01

    Materials presented at the first expert meeting of leading specialists in medical radiology are briefly described. The include 14 reports of the scientists of Germany, England, Japan, USA, Finland, Austria. The reports concert delayed allergy-like response to X-ray contrast media accepting on clinical aspects and analysis of nonionic dimeric isotonic media application

  18. Online interprofessional education facilitation: A scoping review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Sherryn Maree; Ward, Catherine; Reeves, Scott

    2018-04-22

    The use of online media to deliver interprofessional education (IPE) is becoming more prevalent across health professions education settings. Facilitation of IPE activities is known to be critical to the effective delivery of IPE, however, specifics about the nature of online IPE facilitation remains unclear. To explore the health professions education literature to understand the extent, range and nature of research on online IPE facilitation. Scoping review methodology was used to guide a search of four electronic databases for relevant papers. Of the 2095 abstracts initially identified, after screening of both abstracts and full-text papers, 10 studies were selected for inclusion in this review. Following abstraction of key information from each study, a thematic analysis was undertaken. Three key themes emerged to describe the nature of the IPE facilitation literature: (1) types of online IPE facilitation contributions, (2) the experience of online IPE facilitation and (3) personal outcomes of online IPE facilitation. These IPE facilitation themes were particularly focused on facilitation of interprofessional student teams on an asynchronous basis. While the included studies provide some insight into the nature of online IPE facilitation, future research is needed to better understand facilitator contributions, and the facilitation experience and associated outcomes, both relating to synchronous and asynchronous online environments.

  19. Social Media Integration In Secondary Education In Pakistan

    OpenAIRE

    Rida Ahmed

    2016-01-01

    This paper investigates the adequacy of social media implementation in the context of secondary education in Pakistan and highlights the importance and necessity of social media in secondary education. This research has helped in understanding the pros and cons of social media implementation in classrooms and also facilitated in analyzing whether social media helps in student learning, classroom performances, competencies and academic grow. The qualitative study paradigm was used for this res...

  20. Medical students' and facilitators' experiences of an Early Professional Contact course: active and motivated students, strained facilitators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Below, Bernhard; Hellquist, Gunilla; Rödjer, Stig; Gunnarsson, Ronny; Björkelund, Cecilia; Wahlqvist, Mats

    2008-12-02

    Today, medical students are introduced to patient contact, communication skills, and clinical examination in the preclinical years of the curriculum with the purpose of gaining clinical experience. These courses are often evaluated from the student perspective. Reports with an additional emphasis on the facilitator perspective are scarce. According to constructive alignment, an influential concept from research in higher education, the learning climate between students and teachers is also of great importance. In this paper, we approach the learning climate by studying both students' and facilitators' course experiences.In 2001, a new "Early Professional Contact" longitudinal strand through term 1-4, was introduced at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. General practitioners and hospital specialists were facilitators.The aim of this study was to assess and analyse students' and clinical facilitators' experiences of the Early Professional Contact course and to illuminate facilitators' working conditions. Inspired by a Swedish adaptation of the Course Experience Questionnaire, an Early Professional Contact Questionnaire was constructed. In 2003, on the completion of the first longitudinal strand, a student and facilitator version was distributed to 86 students and 21 facilitators. In the analysis, both Chi-square and the Mann-Whitney tests were used. Sixty students (70%) and 15 facilitators (71%) completed the questionnaire. Both students and facilitators were satisfied with the course. Students reported gaining iiration for their future work as doctors along with increased confidence in meeting patients. They also reported increased motivation for biomedical studies. Differences in attitudes between facilitators and students were found. Facilitators experienced a greater workload, less reasonable demands and less support, than students. In this project, a new Early Professional Contact course was analysed from both student and facilitator

  1. Medical students' and facilitators' experiences of an Early Professional Contact course: Active and motivated students, strained facilitators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gunnarsson Ronny

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Today, medical students are introduced to patient contact, communication skills, and clinical examination in the preclinical years of the curriculum with the purpose of gaining clinical experience. These courses are often evaluated from the student perspective. Reports with an additional emphasis on the facilitator perspective are scarce. According to constructive alignment, an influential concept from research in higher education, the learning climate between students and teachers is also of great importance. In this paper, we approach the learning climate by studying both students' and facilitators' course experiences. In 2001, a new "Early Professional Contact" longitudinal strand through term 1–4, was introduced at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. General practitioners and hospital specialists were facilitators. The aim of this study was to assess and analyse students' and clinical facilitators' experiences of the Early Professional Contact course and to illuminate facilitators' working conditions. Methods Inspired by a Swedish adaptation of the Course Experience Questionnaire, an Early Professional Contact Questionnaire was constructed. In 2003, on the completion of the first longitudinal strand, a student and facilitator version was distributed to 86 students and 21 facilitators. In the analysis, both Chi-square and the Mann-Whitney tests were used. Results Sixty students (70% and 15 facilitators (71% completed the questionnaire. Both students and facilitators were satisfied with the course. Students reported gaining iiration for their future work as doctors along with increased confidence in meeting patients. They also reported increased motivation for biomedical studies. Differences in attitudes between facilitators and students were found. Facilitators experienced a greater workload, less reasonable demands and less support, than students. Conclusion In this project, a new Early

  2. Breaking Away From the Male Stereotype of a Specialist: Gendered Language Affects Performance in a Thinking Task

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marlene Kollmayer

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available This experimental online-survey study investigated if different written language forms in German have an effect on male bias in thinking. We used answers to the specialist riddle as an indicator for male bias in mental representations of expertise. The difficulty of this thinking task lies in the fact that a gender-unspecified specialist is often automatically assumed to be a man due to gender stereotypes. We expected that reading a text in gender-fair language before processing the specialist riddle helps readers achieve control over automatically activated gender stereotypes and thus facilitates the restructuring and reinterpretation of the problem, which is necessary to reach the conclusion that the specialist is a woman. We randomly assigned 517 native German speakers (68% women to reading a text on expertise written either in gender-fair language or in masculine generics. Subsequently, participants were asked to solve the specialist riddle. The results show that reading a text in gender-fair language before processing the riddle led to higher rates of answers indicating that the specialist is a women compared to reading a text in masculine generics (44% vs. 33% in women and men regardless of their self-stereotyping concerning agency and communion. The findings indicate that reading even a very short text in gender-fair language can help people break their gender-stereotype habit and thus reduce male bias in thinking. Our research emphasizes the importance of using gender-fair language in German-language texts for reducing gender stereotypes.

  3. Meanings and experiential outcomes of bodily care in a specialist palliative context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Håkanson, Cecilia; Öhlén, Joakim

    2015-06-01

    The objective of this study was to enhance the depth of existing knowledge about meanings and experiential outcomes of bodily care in the context of an inpatient specialist palliative setting. Interpretative phenomenology was chosen as the study sought to explore individuals' lived experiences related to bodily care. Nine participants (five women, four men) of various ages and with various metastasized cancers and bodily-care needs, all from one specialist palliative care ward, participated. Data were collected with repeated narrative interviews and supplementary participating observations. Analysis was informed by van Manen's approach. The following meanings and experiential outcomes of bodily care were revealed by our study: maintaining and losing body capability, breaching borders of bodily integrity, being comforted and relieved in bodily-care situations, and being left in distress with unmet needs. These meanings overlap and shape the nature of each other and involve comforting and distressing experiences related to what can be described as conditional dimensions: the particular situation, one's own experiences of the body, and healthcare professionals' approaches. The results, based on specialist palliative care patients' experiences, outline the meanings and outcomes that relate to the quintessence and complexity of palliative care, deriving from dying persons' blend of both basic and symptom-oriented bodily-care needs. Moreover, the results outline how these two dimensions of care equally influence whether comfort and well-being are facilitated or not. Considering this, specialist palliative care may consider how to best integrate and acknowledge the value of skilled basic nursing care as part of and complementary to expertise in symptom relief during the trajectories of illness and dying.

  4. A pedagogical framework for facilitating parents' learning in nurse-parent partnership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopwood, Nick; Clerke, Teena; Nguyen, Anne

    2018-04-01

    Nursing work increasingly demands forms of expertise that complement specialist knowledge. In child and family nursing, this need arises when nurses work in partnership with parents of young children at risk. Partnership means working with parents in respectful, negotiated and empowering ways. Existing partnership literature emphasises communicative and relational skills, but this paper focuses on nurses' capacities to facilitate parents' learning. Referring to data from home visiting, day-stay and specialist toddler clinic services in Sydney, a pedagogical framework is presented. Analysis shows how nurses notice aspects of children, parents and parent-child interactions as a catalyst for building on parents' strengths, enhancing guided chance or challenging unhelpful constructs. Prior research shows the latter can be a sticking point in partnership, but this paper reveals diverse ways in which challenges are folded into learning process that position parents as agents of positive change. Noticing is dependent on embodied and communicative expertise, conceptualised in terms of sensory and reported channels. The framework offers a new view of partnership as mind-expanding for the parent and specifies the nurse's role in facilitating this process. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Clarifying the role of the mental health peer specialist in Massachusetts, USA: insights from peer specialists, supervisors and clients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabral, Linda; Strother, Heather; Muhr, Kathy; Sefton, Laura; Savageau, Judith

    2014-01-01

    Mental health peer specialists develop peer-to-peer relationships of trust with clients to improve their health and well-being, functioning in ways similar to community health workers. Although the number of peer specialists in use has been increasing, their role in care teams is less defined than that of the community health worker. This qualitative study explored how the peer specialist role is defined across different stakeholder groups, the expectations for this role and how the peer specialist is utilised and integrated across different types of mental health services. Data were collected through interviews and focus groups conducted in Massachusetts with peer specialists (N = 44), their supervisors (N = 14) and clients (N = 10) between September 2009 and January 2011. A consensus coding approach was used and all data outputs were reviewed by the entire team to identify themes. Peer specialists reported that their most important role is to develop relationships with clients and that having lived mental health experience is a key element in creating that bond. They also indicated that educating staff about the recovery model and peer role is another important function. However, they often felt a lack of clarity about their role within their organisation and care team. Supervisors valued the unique experience that peer specialists bring to an organisation. However, without a defined set of expectations for this role, they struggled with training, guiding and evaluating their peer specialist staff. Clients reported that the shared lived experience is important for the relationship and that working with a peer specialist has improved their mental health. With increasing support for person-centred integrated healthcare delivery models, the demand for mental health peer specialist services will probably increase. Therefore, clearer role definition, as well as workforce development focused on team orientation, is necessary for peer specialists to be fully integrated

  6. 29 CFR 42.9 - Farm Labor Specialist (ESA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Farm Labor Specialist (ESA). 42.9 Section 42.9 Labor Office of the Secretary of Labor COORDINATED ENFORCEMENT § 42.9 Farm Labor Specialist (ESA). (a) The Assistant Secretary for ESA shall designate ESA Compliance Officers as Farm Labor Specialists (Specialists...

  7. How Are Scientists Using Social Media in the Workplace?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kimberley Collins

    Full Text Available Social media has created networked communication channels that facilitate interactions and allow information to proliferate within professional academic communities as well as in informal social circumstances. A significant contemporary discussion in the field of science communication is how scientists are using (or might use social media to communicate their research. This includes the role of social media in facilitating the exchange of knowledge internally within and among scientific communities, as well as externally for outreach to engage the public. This study investigates how a surveyed sample of 587 scientists from a variety of academic disciplines, but predominantly the academic life sciences, use social media to communicate internally and externally. Our results demonstrate that while social media usage has yet to be widely adopted, scientists in a variety of disciplines use these platforms to exchange scientific knowledge, generally via either Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or blogs. Despite the low frequency of use, our work evidences that scientists perceive numerous potential advantages to using social media in the workplace. Our data provides a baseline from which to assess future trends in social media use within the science academy.

  8. How Are Scientists Using Social Media in the Workplace?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Kimberley; Shiffman, David; Rock, Jenny

    2016-01-01

    Social media has created networked communication channels that facilitate interactions and allow information to proliferate within professional academic communities as well as in informal social circumstances. A significant contemporary discussion in the field of science communication is how scientists are using (or might use) social media to communicate their research. This includes the role of social media in facilitating the exchange of knowledge internally within and among scientific communities, as well as externally for outreach to engage the public. This study investigates how a surveyed sample of 587 scientists from a variety of academic disciplines, but predominantly the academic life sciences, use social media to communicate internally and externally. Our results demonstrate that while social media usage has yet to be widely adopted, scientists in a variety of disciplines use these platforms to exchange scientific knowledge, generally via either Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or blogs. Despite the low frequency of use, our work evidences that scientists perceive numerous potential advantages to using social media in the workplace. Our data provides a baseline from which to assess future trends in social media use within the science academy.

  9. Get it together: Issues that facilitate collaboration in teams of learners in intensive care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conte, Helen; Jirwe, Maria; Scheja, Max; Hjelmqvist, Hans

    2016-05-01

    The study describes issues that facilitate collaboration in teams of learners in an interprofessional education unit in intensive care. A descriptive qualitative study design was applied using semi-structured interviews based on the critical incident technique and qualitative content analysis. Nineteen participants, eight learners in their specialist training, nine supervisors and two head supervisors in Sweden identified 47 incidents. Teams of learners having control was the core issue. Motivation, time, experiences and reflection were central issues for facilitating collaboration. Efficiently training teams how to collaborate requires learners having control while acting on their common understanding and supervisors taking a facilitating role supporting teams to take control of their critical analysis.

  10. Digital Media Use and Social Engagement: How Social Media and Smartphone Use Influence Social Activities of College Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yonghwan; Wang, Yuan; Oh, Jeyoung

    2016-04-01

    Social media and mobile phones have emerged as important platforms for college students' communication activities. This study examined how college students' psychological need to belong is associated with their use of social media and smartphones. In addition, it further investigated the effects of college students' digital media use on their social engagement. Findings revealed that students' need to belong was positively related with their use of social media and smartphones, which could further facilitate their social engagement. Moreover, the relationship between the need to belong and social engagement was mediated by college students' digital media use. This study offers empirical evidence of the positive effects of digital media on social behaviors and contributed to further understanding about the mechanisms by which need to belong leads to social engagement through digital media use.

  11. Development of a questionnaire to measure the key attributes of the community palliative care specialist nurse role.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cameron, Dee; Johnston, Bridget

    2015-02-01

    Recent worldwide economic events have forced an examination of the nurse's contribution to high-quality, effective, person-centred care. Since the role of specialist nurses is considered one of the least understood or valued developments in nursing, specialist nurses must demonstrate their contribution to quality, person-centred health care. To develop a questionnaire which aims to measure the quality of care provided by palliative care specialist nurses from the patients' perspective and to undertake initial validation. The process of questionnaire development involved six phases including systematic literature reviews, patient advisory groups and expert panel reviews, each of which contributed to the questionnaire face and content validity. Johnston's Expert Palliative Care Nurse Model (2002; 2005) provided an evidence-based framework for the development of the questionnaire, and enabled the identification of the key attributes of the palliative care specialist nurse role, thereby providing the themes on which to base the questionnaire. The Quality Measure for Palliative Nursing, a questionnaire, was developed. The themes identified in the questionnaire--personal characteristics, communication skills, knowledge, relationship with patient and providing comfort--aim to facilitate measurement of the quality of care provided by palliative care specialist nurses. Designed for use by palliative patients the Quality Measure for Palliative Nursing is a one-page questionnaire comprising of 15 questions. The Quality Measure for Palliative Nursing is unique since it aims to measure the quality of care provided by community palliative care specialist nurses, and could also be used to measure patient satisfaction with the quality of care provided. Further testing is recommended to ensure that this questionnaire can provide reliable and valid results.

  12. Education of nuclear energy specialists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paulikas, V.

    1999-01-01

    Preparation system of nuclear energy specialists in Lithuania is presented. Nuclear engineers are being prepared at Kaunas University of Technology. Post-graduates students usually continue studies at Obninsk Nuclear Energy Institute in Russia. Many western countries like Sweden, Finland and US is providing assistance in education of Lithuanian specialists. Many of them were trained in these countries

  13. Web-Based Media Literacy to Prevent Tobacco Use among High School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phelps-Tschang, Jane S.; Miller, Elizabeth; Rice, Kristen; Primack, Brian A.

    2015-01-01

    Facilitator-led smoking media literacy (SML) programs have improved media literacy and reduced intention to smoke. However, these programs face limitations including high costs and barriers to standardization. We examined the efficacy of a Web-based media literacy program in improving smoking media literacy skills among adolescents. Sixty-six 9th…

  14. The social media manifesto: a comprehensive review of the impact of social media on emergency management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crowe, Adam

    2011-02-01

    Over the past five years, social media have impacted emergency management and disaster response in numerous ways. The emergency management professional must begin to accept this impact not as an arbitrary consequence of an uncontrolled disaster, but rather as a tool to help coordinate, manage and facilitate a safe and expected response during emergencies and disasters. This paper will explain the power and purpose of social media as well as how social media systems have equalised capabilities for all levels and sizes of government. Moreover, this paper will also highlight the social media systems that are being used as operational tools as well as what the future holds. Lastly, common implementation challenges will be discussed through a look at systematic approaches to applying social media in emergency management as a positive and valuable tool.

  15. E-learning for medical imaging specialists: introducing blended learning in a nuclear medicine specialist course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haslerud, Torjan; Tulipan, Andreas Julius; Gray, Robert M; Biermann, Martin

    2017-07-01

    While e-learning has become an important tool in teaching medical students, the training of specialists in medical imaging is still dominated by lecture-based courses. To assess the potential of e-learning in specialist education in medical imaging. An existing lecture-based five-day course in Clinical Nuclear Medicine (NM) was enhanced by e-learning resources and activities, including practical exercises. An anonymized survey was conducted after participants had completed and passed the multiple choice electronic course examination. Twelve out of 15 course participants (80%) responded. Overall satisfaction with the new course format was high, but 25% of the respondents wanted more interactive elements such as discussions and practical exercises. The importance of lecture handouts and supplementary online material such as selected original articles and professional guidelines was affirmed by all the respondents (92% fully, 8% partially), while 75% fully and 25% partially agreed that the lectures had been interesting and relevant. E-learning represents a hitherto unrealized potential in the education of medical specialists. It may expedite training of medical specialists while at the same time containing costs.

  16. Practitioners’ view of the role of OOH advertising media in IMC campaigns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Therese Roux

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Despite the traction that contemporary out-of-home advertising has gained in the global media landscape, there are still some ambiguities regarding the contribution of this medium in the context of integrated marketing communication. Previous studies have examined consumers’ responses to different out-of-home advertising media types; however, little attention has been paid to how they could contribute to an overall integrated marketing communication (IMC program. The purpose of the study was, therefore, to explore a practitioner’s view of the role of out-of-home advertising media in an integrated marketing communication campaign. Investigating knowledgeable practitioners’ perspectives and practices helped to reveal novel media planning techniques applied by specialists in the field and contributed to the limited theory on out-of-home advertising media planning. The three roles performed by out-of-home advertising media within this context: support; lead; or even as the only media, were clarified. Some unique media tactics to reach marketing communication objectives on cognitive, affective or behavioural levels and direction for future research were also proposed.

  17. Social media and disasters: a functional framework for social media use in disaster planning, response, and research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houston, J Brian; Hawthorne, Joshua; Perreault, Mildred F; Park, Eun Hae; Goldstein Hode, Marlo; Halliwell, Michael R; Turner McGowen, Sarah E; Davis, Rachel; Vaid, Shivani; McElderry, Jonathan A; Griffith, Stanford A

    2015-01-01

    A comprehensive review of online, official, and scientific literature was carried out in 2012-13 to develop a framework of disaster social media. This framework can be used to facilitate the creation of disaster social media tools, the formulation of disaster social media implementation processes, and the scientific study of disaster social media effects. Disaster social media users in the framework include communities, government, individuals, organisations, and media outlets. Fifteen distinct disaster social media uses were identified, ranging from preparing and receiving disaster preparedness information and warnings and signalling and detecting disasters prior to an event to (re)connecting community members following a disaster. The framework illustrates that a variety of entities may utilise and produce disaster social media content. Consequently, disaster social media use can be conceptualised as occurring at a number of levels, even within the same disaster. Suggestions are provided on how the proposed framework can inform future disaster social media development and research. © 2014 2014 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2014.

  18. Attitudes regarding specialist referrals in periodontics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharpe, G; Durham, J A; Preshaw, P M

    2007-02-24

    To examine the attitudes of dental practitioners towards specialist periodontal referral in the North East of England. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 10 practitioners. Interviews continued until data saturation occurred. The data were organised using a framework and analysed by two researchers working independently. Perceptions of periodontal disease and treatment appear to be heavily influenced by the NHS remuneration system. Treatment in general practice was limited to simple scaling and there was an apparent reluctance to treat advanced periodontitis. Such cases were commonly referred to specialists, confirming the demand for a referral service in periodontics. The perceived potential for medico-legal consequences was a strong driver of referrals. Distance to the referral centre and the perceived costs of treatment were significant barriers to referral. Dentists valued the specialist's personal reputation and clinical skills more highly than academic status. Deficiencies in communication between primary and secondary care were highlighted. Increased resources are required to manage periodontal diseases within the NHS. There is a need for a periodontal referral service in the North East of England to improve accessibility to specialist care. This would appear to be most appropriately delivered by increased numbers of specialist practitioners.

  19. Graduate Curriculum for Biological Information Specialists: A Key to Integration of Scale in Biology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carole L. Palmer

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Scientific data problems do not stand in isolation. They are part of a larger set of challenges associated with the escalation of scientific information and changes in scholarly communication in the digital environment. Biologists in particular are generating enormous sets of data at a high rate, and new discoveries in the biological sciences will increasingly depend on the integration of data across multiple scales. This work will require new kinds of information expertise in key areas. To build this professional capacity we have developed two complementary educational programs: a Biological Information Specialist (BIS masters degree and a concentration in Data Curation (DC. We believe that BISs will be central in the development of cyberinfrastructure and information services needed to facilitate interdisciplinary and multi-scale science. Here we present three sample cases from our current research projects to illustrate areas in which we expect information specialists to make important contributions to biological research practice.

  20. TRENDS IN USING SOCIAL MEDIA AS SUBSTITUTE FOR CLASS ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2018-02-01

    Feb 1, 2018 ... Keywords: Social media, Class interaction, ODL system, Education, ... caused in both private and public working sectors ... The Role of Social Media in ODL Educational ... and others facilitate academic relationship .... who had also been yearning for education upgrading enrolled for their choice programs.

  1. Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski arrives at KSC

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    STS-95 Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski notes the time on his watch upon his late arrival aboard a T-38 jet at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Parazynski's first plane experienced problems at the stop at Tyndall AFB and he had to wait for another jet and pilot to finish the flight to KSC. He joined other crewmembers Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson, Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio, Mission Specialist Pedro Duque, with the European Space Agency (ESA), and Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), for final pre-launch preparations. STS-95 is expected to launch at 2 p.m. EST on Oct. 29, last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, and land at 11:49 a.m. EST on Nov. 7.

  2. Social Media for Professional Development and Networking Opportunities in Academia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donelan, Helen

    2016-01-01

    The research reported on in this article explores the use of social media for work-related or professional purposes. In particular, it focuses on the perceptions and use of social media by academics in the UK. The purpose of the research was to explore the potential social media has to facilitate the changing landscape of higher education and…

  3. Study of French media coverage of the Three Mile Island nuclear incident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourdier, J.M.; Veron, Eliseo; Dana, Jorge; Franc de Ferriere, Antoinette.

    1982-01-01

    The authors consider the question within the scope of an ''analysis of discourse'', combining three specialist approaches (linguistic, semiological and sociological). They outline the workings of the media in France and take a look at the press, radio and television coverage given to the incident, corroborating their findings with several concrete examples [fr

  4. Media, cultural diversity and globalization: challenges and opportunities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zayani, Mohamed

    2011-01-01

    This paper explores the role media play in safeguarding cultural diversity, promoting cultural dialogue, facilitating the exercise of cultural rights,fostering cultural understanding and cultivating intercultural citizenship in the age of globalization. The paper highlights several interconnected leverage points: media content, practices, processes, ownership, education, structures, and policies. It argues that fostering cultural diversity in and through the media can go a long way toward bringing a civic discourse which favors tolerance and facilitates co-existence. It can contribute to the breaking down of cultural barriers, the initiation of cultural dialogues, the empowerment of marginalized groups, and the practice of good governance. At the same time, this paper argues, the celebration of difference does not preclude the valuation of a common cultural core or a common humanity which brings people together in spite of their differences.

  5. Crop domestication facilitated rapid geographic expansion of a specialist pollinator, the squash bee Peponapis pruinosa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Over the past 10,000 years, humans have facilitated rapid range expansions of animal, plants and microorganisms, often accompanying agriculture’s spread. Three squash species were early domesticates in the New World. Their spreading cultivation out of the Southwest across much of today’s USA has bee...

  6. Are peer specialists happy on the job?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkins, Sarah; Chenneville, Tiffany; Salnaitis, Christina

    2018-03-01

    This study was designed to examine the impact of role clarity and job training on job satisfaction among peer specialists. A 3-part survey assessing job training, job satisfaction, and role clarity was administered online to 195 peer specialists who are members of the International Association of Peer Specialists. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlational analyses to include multiple linear regressions and analysis of variance. Self-study and online training methods were negatively correlated with job satisfaction while job shadowing was positively correlated with job satisfaction. Role clarity was positively correlated with job satisfaction and job training satisfaction as well as job shadowing and one-on-one training. The use of self-study and online training for peer specialists is contraindicated by current findings, which suggest the need to utilize job shadowing or training methods that allow for personal interaction between peer specialists and their colleagues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Social media and Internet usage of orthopaedic surgeons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duymuş, Tahir Mutlu; Karadeniz, Hilmi; Şükür, Erhan; Atiç, Ramazan; Zehir, Sinan; Azboy, İbrahim

    2017-01-01

    The main objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of social media and Internet usage of orthopaedists and to determine its effects on patient-physician communication. Data were collected by e-mail from 321 orthopaedists who filled out the questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of a total 25 items pertaining to personal information, which social media tool they use, their overall views of and expectations from social media, the effects of social media on patient-physician relationship and communication. The rates of keeping in contact with patients and "often" helping patients to manage their treatments over social media increased with age ( p  social media was significantly higher in academicians compared to that in specialist physicians ( p  = 0.040). The rates of having a personal website and being a member of online physician platform and social-networking sites were higher in participants working in the private sector than participants working in the public sector ( p  = 0.001). It was found that the rate of finding it useful to be in contact with patients over social media was higher in physicians working in the private sector compared to that in those working in the public sector ( p  Social media tools and Internet are commonly used by orthopaedists to communicate with their patients. Even though there are beneficial effects in patient-physician relationship, effective standards and regulations should be developed to enable a safe communication and to resolve ethical and legal uncertainties.

  8. Virtual patients: an effective educational intervention to improve paediatric basic specialist trainee education in the management of suspected child abuse?

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    McEvoy, M M

    2011-09-01

    Child abuse is a particularly difficult subject to teach at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Most doctors are dissatisfied with their training in child abuse recognition and management. We developed an interactive video based Virtual Patient to provide formal training for paediatric Basic Specialist Trainees in the recognition of suspected child abuse. The Virtual Patient case revolves around the management of suspected physical abuse in a seven month old child, who initially presents to the Emergency Department with viral upper respiratory tract symptoms. This Virtual Patient was used to facilitate a case discussion with Basic Specialist Trainees. A questionnaire was developed to determine their perception of the value of the Virtual Patient as an educational tool. Twenty five Basic Specialist Trainees completed the questionnaire. Upon completion of the case, 23\\/25 (92%) participants reported greater self confidence in their ability to recognize cases of suspected child abuse and 24\\/25 (96%) of participants reported greater self confidence in their ability to report cases of suspected child abuse. Basic Specialist Trainees perceived the Virtual Patient to be a useful educational tool. Virtual Patients may have a role to play in enhancing postgraduate training in the recognition of suspected child abuse.

  9. ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND ROMANIAN MEDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monica Condruz-Bacescu

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with the significant increase of English words and expressions in Romanian media, in the general context of English and American words’ invasion. The premise from which we start to analyze the influence of English on Romanian audiovisual space is that this influence is specific not only to Romania, but is also found in many countries worldwide. Massive borrowing of Anglo-American terms was obvious after the Second World War in most European languages. This paper constitutes an awareness call to all communication specialists, putting particular emphasis on journalists’ role and those responsible in communication to convey future generations a constant concern for all that means Romanian language. The second part of the paper presents examples of necessary borrowings and luxury Anglicisms from different fields: economic, financial, trade, education and research; sports, communication and media terminology. Then, the next part deals with examples from Romanian newspapers, magazines, from TV and radio. The media, the main providers of Anglicisms, have built a secondary reality, relying on information, reports and interpretations which they select, order them according to priorities, and spread them among the public, using a certain terminology. The attitude of speakers and specialists to the avalanche of English terms in Romanian audiovisual language must be a rational one, since it is necessary to measure both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, in this paper I wish to plead for quality in journalistic expression without blaming the use of anglicisms or neologisms regardless of the language of origin. On the contrary, I would like to emphasize that, when their use is justified in terms of terminology and when they come to cover a semantic void or a more precise meaning, borrowings may be a demonstration of spirituality, enrichment, networking and integration of science and modern technology. The conclusion is that the

  10. Do socio-economic factors, elderly population size and service development factors influence the development of specialist mental health programs for older people?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Ajit

    2008-12-01

    Despite the increase in the proportion of older people in the population, little is known about factors that facilitate the development of specialist mental health services for older people. The relationship between the presence of specialist mental health programs for older people and elderly population size, proportion of older people in the population, gross national domestic product (GDP), and various parameters of health funding, mental health funding and mental health service provision was examined in an ecological study using data from the World Health Organization. The presence of specialist mental health programs for older people was significantly associated with higher GDP, higher expenditure on healthcare and mental healthcare, the presence of a national mental health policy and a national mental health program, the availability of mental health care in primary care and the community, and higher density of psychiatric beds, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, psychologists and social workers. The challenge will be to persuade policy-makers in low and medium income countries, where the increase in the elderly population is most rapid, to develop specialist mental health services for older people.

  11. Responding in Real Time: Creating a Social Media Crisis Simulator for the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Betsy; Swenson, Rebecca; Kinsella, John

    2014-01-01

    This article describes a realistic online crisis unit, in which students practice: (1) responding to fast-paced information on multiple social media channels; (2) coordinating and making team decisions; and (3) creating effective responses. These skills are required for entry-level positions such as digital specialists and community managers,…

  12. Brazilian infectious diseases specialists: who and where are they?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassenote, Alex Jones Flores; Scheffer, Mario César; Segurado, Aluísio Augusto Cotrim

    2016-01-01

    The infectious diseases specialist is a medical doctor dedicated to the management of infectious diseases in their individual and collective dimensions. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the current profile and distribution of infectious diseases specialists in Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study using secondary data obtained from institutions that register medical specialists in Brazil. Variables of interest included gender, age, type of medical school (public or private) the specialist graduated from, time since finishing residency training in infectious diseases, and the interval between M.D. graduation and residency completion. Maps are used to study the geographical distribution of infectious diseases specialists. A total of 3229 infectious diseases specialist registries were counted, with 94.3% (3045) of individual counts (heads) represented by primary registries. The mean age was 43.3 years (SD 10.5), and a higher proportion of females was observed (57%; 95% CI 55.3-58.8). Most Brazilian infectious diseases specialists (58.5%) practice in the Southeastern region. However, when distribution rates were calculated, several states exhibited high concentration of infectious diseases specialists, when compared to the national rate (16.06). Interestingly, among specialists working in the Northeastern region, those trained locally had completed their residency programs more recently (8.7yrs; 95% CI 7.9-9.5) than physicians trained elsewhere in the country (13.6yrs: 95% CI 11.8-15.5). Our study shows that Brazilian infectious diseases specialists are predominantly young and female doctors. Most have concluded a medical residency training program. The absolute majority practice in the Southeastern region. However, some states from the Northern, Northeastern and Southeastern regions exhibit specialist rates above the national average. In these areas, nonetheless, there is a strong concentration of infectious diseases specialists in state capitals and in

  13. Media Education across Four Asian Societies: Issues and Themes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, Chi-Kim

    2009-01-01

    This paper undertakes a comparative review of the development and implementation of media education in four Asian societies. The comparison focuses on the following issues: the general pedagogical transition from inoculation to empowerment; the roles of government policy and educational reform in facilitating the development of media education;…

  14. Documenting coordination of cancer care between primary care providers and oncology specialists in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brouwers, Melissa C; Vukmirovic, Marija; Tomasone, Jennifer R; Grunfeld, Eva; Urquhart, Robin; O'Brien, Mary Ann; Walker, Melanie; Webster, Fiona; Fitch, Margaret

    2016-10-01

    To report on the findings of the CanIMPACT (Canadian Team to Improve Community-Based Cancer Care along the Continuum) Casebook project, which systematically documented Canadian initiatives (ie, programs and projects) designed to improve or support coordination and continuity of cancer care between primary care providers (PCPs) and oncology specialists. Pan-Canadian environmental scan. Canada. Individuals representing the various initiatives provided data for the analysis. Initiatives included in the Casebook met the following criteria: they supported coordination and collaboration between PCPs and oncology specialists; they were related to diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, or personalized medicine; and they included breast or colorectal cancer or both. Data were collected on forms that were compiled into summaries (ie, profiles) for each initiative. Casebook initiatives were organized based on the targeted stage of the cancer care continuum, jurisdiction, and strategy (ie, model of care or type of intervention) employed. Thematic analysis identified similarities and differences among employed strategies, the level of primary care engagement, implementation barriers and facilitators, and initiative evaluation. The CanIMPACT Casebook profiles 24 initiatives. Eleven initiatives targeted the survivorship stage of the cancer care continuum and 15 focused specifically on breast or colorectal cancer or both. Initiative teams implemented the following strategies: nurse patient navigation, multidisciplinary care teams, electronic communication or information systems, PCP education, and multicomponent initiatives. Initiatives engaged PCPs at various levels. Implementation barriers included lack of care standardization across jurisdictions and incompatibility among electronic communication systems. Implementation facilitators included having clinical and program leaders publicly support the initiative, repurposing existing resources, receiving financial support, and

  15. The challenges of introducing internal social media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Vibeke Thøis

    2017-01-01

    Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges associated with introducing internal social media (ISM) into organizations in order to help them reap the benefits of coworker communication on ISM. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an exploratory study in ten...... facilitators and sense-givers. Keywords Organizational communication, Internal communication, Coworker, Internal social media Paper type Research paper...

  16. Laying Claim to Social Media by Activists

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Galis, Vasilis; Neumayer, Christina

    2016-01-01

    engage in struggles against the current economic system. We employ the notion of détournement, which describes how social movements turn something aside from its normal course or purpose. Based on interviews and online ethnographic observations, we seek to understand how and with what consequences social...... media facilitate and limit collective action. The article enhances our understanding of activists’ social media use by turning our attention to the sociotechnical impact of social media on collective action initiated by leftist groups as well as the relationship between ideological loyalties...

  17. Does Media Literacy Mitigate Risk for Reduced Body Satisfaction Following Exposure to Thin-Ideal Media?

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLean, Siân A; Paxton, Susan J; Wertheim, Eleanor H

    2016-08-01

    Exposure to thin-ideal media can contribute to increased body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls. Understanding the factors that may prevent or exacerbate the negative effects of media exposure on body dissatisfaction is important to facilitate prevention of these problems. This study evaluated the effects of exposure to thin-ideal media images on body image in three instructional set experimental conditions: appearance comparison, peer norms, and control. An important aim was to examine baseline levels of media literacy as a protective factor and trait thin-ideal internalization and trait upward appearance comparison as risk factors. Early adolescent girls (N = 246) completed baseline measures and 1 week later viewed thin-ideal media images, before and after which they rated their state body satisfaction. Participants in the appearance comparison instruction but not peer norms instruction condition had significantly reduced body satisfaction. Media literacy, particularly high levels of critical thinking, mitigated the negative effects of trait thin-ideal internalization and trait upward appearance comparison on body satisfaction outcomes. These findings provide evidence for the role of media literacy as a protective factor against the negative effects on body satisfaction of exposure to thin-ideal media images, and also provide evidence to support the development and implementation of media literacy-based body image interventions.

  18. Forecasting the need for medical specialists in Spain: application of a system dynamics model

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Background Spain has gone from a surplus to a shortage of medical doctors in very few years. Medium and long-term planning for health professionals has become a high priority for health authorities. Methods We created a supply and demand/need simulation model for 43 medical specialties using system dynamics. The model includes demographic, education and labour market variables. Several scenarios were defined. Variables controllable by health planners can be set as parameters to simulate different scenarios. The model calculates the supply and the deficit or surplus. Experts set the ratio of specialists needed per 1000 inhabitants with a Delphi method. Results In the scenario of the baseline model with moderate population growth, the deficit of medical specialists will grow from 2% at present (2800 specialists) to 14.3% in 2025 (almost 21 000). The specialties with the greatest medium-term shortages are Anesthesiology, Orthopedic and Traumatic Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Aesthetic and Reparatory Surgery, Family and Community Medicine, Pediatrics, Radiology, and Urology. Conclusions The model suggests the need to increase the number of students admitted to medical school. Training itineraries should be redesigned to facilitate mobility among specialties. In the meantime, the need to make more flexible the supply in the short term is being filled by the immigration of physicians from new members of the European Union and from Latin America. PMID:21034458

  19. Brain network: social media and the cognitive scientist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stafford, Tom; Bell, Vaughan

    2012-10-01

    Cognitive scientists are increasingly using online social media, such as blogging and Twitter, to gather information and disseminate opinion, while linking to primary articles and data. Because of this, internet tools are driving a change in the scientific process, where communication is characterised by rapid scientific discussion, wider access to specialist debates, and increased cross-disciplinary interaction. This article serves as an introduction to and overview of this transformation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Professional Learning in Unlikely Spaces: Social Media and Virtual Communities as Professional Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathleen P. King

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available In this case study, results demonstrate that an individual’s use of social media as professional learning spans understanding, networking, professional identity development, and transformative learning. Specifically, virtual online communities facilitated through social media provide professional networks, social relationships and learning beyond the scope of the individual’s usual experience. Case study method reveals strategies, extent, and impact of learning providing insight into this phenomenon. The significance of the research includes purposefully facilitating professional learning through informal learning contexts, including social media and online communities beyond technology-centric fields. Discussion and recommendations include using social media and virtual communities as instructional strategies for graduate studies and continued learning beyond formal education.

  1. Media Challenging Status Quo

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sandvik, Kjetil

    and Libya creating headlines like “the Facebook revolution”. On the other hand, several scholars argue that it is naive to believe that social media in themselves create change: they may at the best facilitate already existing social and political movements (Downing 2008, Christakis & Fowler 2010...... and communication research is currently engaging in a longer and deeper process of examining and assessing the cultural consequences of networked communication. One present challenge is to understand digital media and networked communication at the intersection of established and countercultural, utopian......Digital media and especially so-called ‘social media’ have on the one hand been ascribed the power to change societies and empower democratic movements following the thoughts of e.g. Rheingold (2004), recently fueled by the democratic uprising in Arabic countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Iran...

  2. Social Media as a Marketing Tool for a Small Business

    OpenAIRE

    Honkaniemi, Noora

    2015-01-01

    This Bachelor’s thesis focuses on social media and utilising it as a marketing strategy for a photography entrepreneur in Tampere. Marketing theories and the concept of social media are defined in order to facilitate understanding the case in a more constructive manner. Social media platforms are introduced through literature and web materials. The purpose was to give a general guideline in marketing through various social media platforms. The objective was to gain knowledge of the more popul...

  3. Media Sosial Sebagai Strategi Gerakan Bali Tolak Reklamasi

    OpenAIRE

    Kade Galuh, I Gusti Agung Ayu

    2016-01-01

    : Using case study, as well as new social movement and cyberprotest framework, this paper aims to see the infl uence of social media characteristics to the process of grassroots democracy. Social media is viewed as part of the new social movement strategy. Its characteristics such as form, content, and users affect the development of public reasoning and refl ection on Benoa Bay reclamation issue. The result shows that social media facilitates the strategy of reasoning andrefl ection in the m...

  4. Preparing Elementary Mathematics-Science Teaching Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, L. Diane

    1992-01-01

    Describes a professional development program to train math/science specialists for the upper elementary school grades. Using results from an interest survey, 30 teachers were chosen to participate in a 3-year program to become math/science specialists. Presents the teaching model used and the advantages for teachers and students in having subject…

  5. Media matters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, L M

    1995-01-01

    The impact of the mass media on woman's status was addressed at two 1995 conferences: the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China, and the Congress of the World Association for Christian Communication, held in Puebla, Mexico. The globalization process facilitated by the mass media has served to increase the power of patriarchy, with no advantages to the cause of women's rights. Coverage of popular movements has been suppressed out of deference to male-controlled governments. Coverage of the Beijing Conference highlighted celebrities and personal stories, to the exclusion of the economic and political issues under debate. Television has commodified women, reinforcing their oppression. On the other hand, the alternative media, which tend to be decentralized, democratic, low-cost, and low in technology, are presenting women as subjects rather than objects and deconstructing gender stereotypes. Of concern, however, is the tendency of computer technology to widen the gap between social classes and developed and developing countries. Women must use information networks to disseminate information on women's rights and strengthen the links between women throughout the world.

  6. Illicit drugs and the media: models of media effects for use in drug policy research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lancaster, Kari; Hughes, Caitlin E; Spicer, Bridget; Matthew-Simmons, Francis; Dillon, Paul

    2011-07-01

    Illicit drugs are never far from the media gaze and although identified almost a decade ago as 'a new battleground' for the alcohol and other drug (AOD) field there has been limited research examining the role of the news media and its effects on audiences and policy. This paper draws together media theories from communication literature to examine media functions. We illustrate how each function is relevant for media and drugs research by drawing upon the existing literature examining Australian media coverage during the late 1990s of escalating heroin-related problems and proposed solutions. Media can influence audiences in four key ways: by setting the agenda and defining public interest; framing issues through selection and salience; indirectly shaping individual and community attitudes towards risk; and feeding into political debate and decision making. Each has relevance for the AOD field. For example, media coverage of the escalating heroin-related problems in Australia played a strong role in generating interest in heroin overdoses, framing public discourse in terms of a health and/or criminal issue and affecting political decisions. Implications AND CONCLUSION: Media coverage in relation to illicit drugs can have multifarious effects. Incorporating media communication theories into future research and actions is critical to facilitate understanding of the short- and long-term impacts of media coverage on illicit drugs and the avenues by which the AOD field can mitigate or inform future media debates on illicit drugs. © 2010 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

  7. [New business model for medical specialists].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houwen, L G H J Louis

    2013-01-01

    The reforms in the field of medical specialist care have important implications for the professional practice of medical specialists and their working relationship with the hospital. This leads to a considerable amount of pressure placed upon the way physicians have traditionally practiced their liberal professions, which is by forming partnerships and practicing from within the hospitals based on an admission agreement. As of 2015, the tax benefits for entrepreneurs will be abolished and the formation of regional partnerships will be discouraged. These developments not only pose threats but also offer opportunities for both the entrepreneurial medical specialist and the innovative hospital. In this article, the prospect of a future business model for specialist medical care will be outlined and explored by proposing three new organizational forms. The central vision of this model is that physicians who wish to retain their status of liberal professional practitioners in the twenty-first century should be more involved in the ownership structure of hospitals. The social importance of responsible patient care remains paramount.

  8. Review of the literature on the use of social media by people with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunner, Melissa; Hemsley, Bronwyn; Palmer, Stuart; Dann, Stephen; Togher, Leanne

    2015-01-01

    To review the literature relating to use of social media by people with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), specifically its use for social engagement, information exchange or rehabilitation. A systematic review with a qualitative meta-synthesis of content themes was conducted. In June 2014, 10 databases were searched for relevant, peer-reviewed research studies in English that related to both TBI and social media. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria, with Facebook™ and Twitter™ being the most common social media represented in the included studies. Content analysis identified three major categories of meaning in relation to social media and TBI: (1) risks and benefits; (2) barriers and facilitators; and (3) purposes of use of social media. A greater emphasis was evident regarding potential risks and apparent barriers to social media use, with little focus on facilitators of successful use by people with TBI. Research to date reveals a range of benefits to the use of social media by people with TBI however there is little empirical research investigating its use. Further research focusing on ways to remove the barriers and increase facilitators for the use of social media by people with TBI is needed.

  9. Social media for professional development and networking opportunities in academia

    OpenAIRE

    Donelan, Helen

    2016-01-01

    The research reported on in this article explores the use of social media for work-related or professional purposes. In particular, it focuses on the perceptions and use of social media by academics in the UK. The purpose of the research was to explore the potential social media has to facilitate the changing landscape of higher education and support the individual academic in their role. Of particular interest is how specific social media tools are being used to enhance networking opportunit...

  10. The impact of economic factors on migration considerations among Icelandic specialist doctors: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solberg, Ingunn Bjarnadóttir; Tómasson, Kristinn; Aasland, Olaf; Tyssen, Reidar

    2013-12-18

    Globalization has facilitated the employability of doctors almost anywhere in the world. In recent years, the migration of doctors seems to have increased. However, we lack studies on doctors' migration from developed countries. Because the economic recession experienced by many countries might have affected the migration of doctors, research on this topic is important for the retention of doctors. Iceland was hit hard by the economic recession in 2008. Therefore, we want to explore how many specialist doctors in Iceland have considered migrating and whether economic factors at work and in private life, such as extensive cost-containment initiatives at work and worries about personal finances, are related to doctors' migration considerations. In 2010, all doctors in Iceland registered with the Icelandic Medical Association were sent an electronic cross-sectional survey by email. The 467 specialists who participated in this study represent 55% of all specialist doctors working in Iceland. Information on doctors' contemplation of migration was available from responses to the question: "Have you considered moving and working abroad?" The predictor variables in our logistic regression model are perceived cost-containment initiatives at work, stress related to personal finances, experience of working abroad during vacations, job dissatisfaction, job position, age, and gender. Sixty-three per cent of Iceland's specialist doctors had considered relocation abroad, 4% were moving in the next year or two, and 33% had not considered relocating. Logistic regression analysis shows that, controlling for age, gender, job position, job satisfaction, and experience of working abroad during vacations, doctors' migration considerations were significantly affected by their experiences of cost-containment initiatives at work (odds ratio (OR) = 2.0, p Economic factors affect whether specialist doctors in Iceland consider migration. More studies on the effect of economic recession

  11. The use of Social Media in Health Systems: Opportunities and challenges

    OpenAIRE

    Hasan Ashrafi-rizi; Mina Afshar

    2015-01-01

    Social media is the result of web 2.0 which refers to technologies that provide the possibility of user’s participation in content creation, sharing information (1), expressing experiences, ideas and thoughts (2) and facilitating communication (3). Social media is frequently and increasingly used in different fields, especially in health (4, 5). This is likely due to the individual abilities of these media to improve the people and organizations’ performance compared to other media ...

  12. Social Media Use in Pediatric Dermatology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fogel, Alexander L; Teng, Joyce M C

    2016-01-01

    Social media is predicted to become increasingly important in dermatology because of its potential to serve as a platform for public health campaigns, aid in participant recruitment for clinical trials, increase public engagement in health care, and facilitate scientific discourse. No study of social media use in pediatric dermatology has been performed, so we analyzed the use of the seven leading social media platforms in pediatric dermatology, with a focus on patient advocacy groups, professional societies, research journals, and research institutions. We observed that 89% of patient advocacy groups, 100% of professional societies, 62.5% of research journals, and 0% of academic pediatric dermatology departments maintained one or more social media accounts. Our observations suggest that all stakeholder groups, and in particular members of the research community, have the potential to further their engagement, connections, and communications through social media. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. 14 CFR 1214.306 - Payload specialist relationship with sponsoring institutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Payload specialist relationship with... ADMINISTRATION SPACE FLIGHT Payload Specialists for Space Transportation System (STS) Missions § 1214.306 Payload specialist relationship with sponsoring institutions. Specialists who are not U.S. Government employees must...

  14. The need for PGY2-trained clinical pharmacy specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ragucci, Kelly R; O'Bryant, Cindy L; Campbell, Kristin Bova; Buck, Marcia L; Dager, William E; Donovan, Jennifer L; Emerson, Kayleigh; Gubbins, Paul O; Haight, Robert J; Jackevicius, Cynthia; Murphy, John E; Prohaska, Emily

    2014-06-01

    The American College of Clinical Pharmacy and other stakeholder organizations seek to advance clinical pharmacist practitioners, educators, and researchers. Unfortunately, there remains an inadequate supply of residency-trained clinical specialists to meet the needs of our health care system, and nonspecialists often are called on to fill open specialist positions. The impact of clinical pharmacy specialists on pharmacotherapy outcomes in both acute care and primary care settings demonstrates the value of these specialists. This commentary articulates the need for postgraduate year two (PGY2)-trained clinical specialists within the health care system by discussing various clinical and policy rationales, interprofessional support, economic justifications, and their impact on quality of care and drug safety. The integrated practice model that has grown out of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative (PPMI) could threaten the growth and development of future clinical specialists. Therefore, the ways in which PGY2-trained clinical pharmacist specialists are deployed in the PPMI require further consideration. PGY2 residencies provide education and training opportunities that cannot be achieved in traditional professional degree programs or postgraduate year one residencies. These specialists are needed to provide direct patient care to complex patient populations and to educate and train pharmacy students and postgraduate residents. Limitations to training and hiring PGY2-trained clinical pharmacy specialists include site capacity limitations and lack of funding. A gap analysis is needed to define the extent of the mismatch between the demand for specialists by health care systems and educational institutions versus the capacity to train clinical pharmacists at the specialty level. © 2014 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

  15. Academic learning for specialist nurses: a grounded theory study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millberg, Lena German; Berg, Linda; Brämberg, Elisabeth Björk; Nordström, Gun; Ohlén, Joakim

    2014-11-01

    The aim was to explore the major concerns of specialist nurses pertaining to academic learning during their education and initial professional career. Specialist nursing education changed in tandem with the European educational reform in 2007. At the same time, greater demands were made on the healthcare services to provide evidence-based and safe patient-care. These changes have influenced specialist nursing programmes and consequently the profession. Grounded Theory guided the study. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire with open-ended questions distributed at the end of specialist nursing programmes in 2009 and 2010. Five universities were included. Further, individual, pair and group interviews were used to collect data from 12 specialist nurses, 5-14 months after graduation. A major concern for specialist nurses was that academic learning should be "meaningful" for their professional future. The specialist nurses' "meaningful academic learning process" was characterised by an ambivalence of partly believing in and partly being hesitant about the significance of academic learning and partly receiving but also lacking support. Specialist nurses were influenced by factors in two areas: curriculum and healthcare context. They felt that the outcome of contribution to professional confidence was critical in making academic learning meaningful. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Composite media for ion processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mann, Nick R [Blackfoot, ID; Wood, Donald J [Peshastin, WA; Todd, Terry A [Aberdeen, ID; Sebesta, Ferdinand [Prague, CZ

    2009-12-08

    Composite media, systems, and devices for substantially removing, or otherwise processing, one or more constituents of a fluid stream. The composite media comprise a plurality of beads, each having a matrix substantially comprising polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and supporting one or more active components which are effective in removing, by various mechanisms, one or more constituents from a fluid stream. Due to the porosity and large surface area of the beads, a high level of contact is achieved between composite media of the present invention and the fluid stream being processed. Further, the homogeneity of the beads facilitates use of the beads in high volume applications where it is desired to effectively process a large volume of flow per unit of time.

  17. Social Media, Collaboration and Social Learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mondahl, Margrethe; Razmerita, Liana

    2014-01-01

    Social media has created new possibilities for digitally native students to engage, interact and collaborate in learning tasks that foster learning processes and the overall learning experience. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, this article discusses experiences and challenges of using...... a social media-enhanced collaborative learning environment in case-based teaching of foreign languages. Based on social constructivismwe argue that foreign language learning is an individual as well as collaborative process and cognitive processes underlying learning and in particular foreign language...... learning are facilitated by means of social media and especially for new generation of students. This article contributes to understanding of how best to make use of social media in an educational setting and how learning may be fostered in social, collaborative knowledge construction, sharing and building...

  18. Cooperation among medical specialists : "pain" or "gain"?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stoffels, Antoinette Marie-Rose Renée

    2008-01-01

    This thesis investigates the cooperation among medical specialists in multidisciplinary teams as well as its antecedents and consequences. During meetings, medical specialists combine their knowledge and expertise, discuss the health problems of patients, weigh possible treatment options and decide

  19. Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski arrives late at KSC

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    The T-38 jet aircraft arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility carrying STS-95 Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski (second seat). The pilot is astronaut Kent Rominger. Parazynski's first plane experienced problems at the stop at Tyndall AFB and he had to wait for another jet and pilot to finish the flight to KSC. He joined other crewmembers Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson, Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio, Mission Specialist Pedro Duque, with the European Space Agency (ESA), and Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), for final pre-launch preparations. STS-95 is expected to launch at 2 p.m. EST on Oct. 29, last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, and land at 11:49 a.m. EST on Nov. 7.

  20. The Predictability of Phytophagous Insect Communities: Host Specialists as Habitat Specialists

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Müller, J.; Stadler, J.; Jarzabek-Müller, A.; Hacker, H.; Braak, ter C.J.F.; Brandl, R.

    2011-01-01

    The difficulties specialized phytophagous insects face in finding habitats with an appropriate host should constrain their dispersal. Within the concept of metacommunities, this leads to the prediction that host-plant specialists should sort into local assemblages according to the local

  1. Pharmacy specialists' attitudes toward pharmaceutical service quality at community pharmacies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urbonas, Gvidas; Jakušovaitė, Irayda; Savickas, Arūnas

    2010-01-01

    The main objective of this study was to analyze pharmacy specialists' attitudes toward the quality of pharmaceutical services at Lithuanian community pharmacies. Between April and June 2009, a total of 471 Lithuanian community pharmacy specialists completed a questionnaire designed to evaluate their attitudes toward the quality of pharmaceutical services at community pharmacies. The main dimensions of pharmaceutical service quality were extracted by principal component analysis. Two main dimensions of pharmaceutical service quality were extracted: pharmacotherapeutic aspects (provision of information about drug therapy, possible side effects, health promotion, the amount of time spent with a patient, and the ascertainment that a patient understood the provided information) and socioeconomic aspects (considering patient's needs and financial capabilities, making a patient confident with the services provided). Pharmacy specialists evaluated the quality of both dimensions positively, but the quality of the first dimension was rated significantly worse than that of the second dimension. The attitudes of pharmacy specialists working at independent pharmacies were more positive toward pharmacotherapeutic aspects as compared to the specialists working at chain or state pharmacies. Pharmacotherapeutic aspects were rated better by pharmacy specialists, aged ≥ 55 years, than those younger than 45 years. Moreover, the attitudes of 45-54-year-old pharmacy specialists toward the socioeconomic aspects were more positive as compared with those of 35-44-year olds. Pharmacists rated the socioeconomic aspects of pharmaceutical service quality worse as compared with pharmacy technicians. The attitudes of pharmacy specialists working at pharmacies with 6-9 specialists were more negative toward pharmacotherapeutic aspects than those of the pharmacies with 1-2 specialists. Pharmacy specialists working at pharmacies with ≥ 10 specialists reported lower scores of socioeconomic

  2. Essays on Participative Web and Social Media for Information Goods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Young Jin

    2010-01-01

    Tremendous growth in online consumer participation has facilitated new business models by firms trying to leverage User-Generated Content (UGC). As a type of the outcomes of UGC, social media is one of the fastest-growing media forms and may significantly affect firm's economic actions or performances. My dissertation investigates several…

  3. Promoting the Utilization of Science in Healthcare (PUSH) Project: A Description of the Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Research Utilization Among Pediatric Nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cline, Genieveve J; Burger, Kristina J; Amankwah, Ernest K; Goldenberg, Neil A; Ghazarian, Sharon R

    The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the perceived barriers and facilitators to research utilization and evidence-based practice among nurses employed in a tertiary care children's hospital. Results revealed seven facilitator and six barrier themes that contribute to the understanding of the problem. The themes can be utilized by nursing professional development specialists to customize organizational infrastructure and educational programs.

  4. Experts as facilitators for the implementation of social media in the library?: a social network approach

    OpenAIRE

    Vanwynsberghe, Hadewijch; Boudry, Elke; Vanderlinde, Ruben; Verdegem, Pieter

    2014-01-01

    Purpose – Based on the social capital theory, we assume that personal and professional experts are both relevant to people’s competence development. However, to date, there is little empirical evidence of how professional experts can support, or impede, people in learning how to deal with social media. The goal of this study is to examine the role and position of social media experts in the distribution of information on social media within the library as organization. Design/ methodology/...

  5. Caring presence in practice: facilitating an appreciative discourse in nursing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    du Plessis, E

    2016-09-01

    To report on an appreciation of caring presence practised by nurses in South Africa in order to facilitate an appreciative discourse in nursing and a return to caring values and attitudes. Appreciative reports on caring presence are often overlooked. Media may provide a platform for facilitating appreciation for caring presence practised by nurses. Such an appreciation may foster further practice of caring presence and re-ignite a caring ethos in nursing. This article provides an appreciative discourse on caring presence in nursing in the form of examples of caring presence practised by nurses. An anecdotal approach was followed. Social media, namely narratives on caring presence shared by nurses on a Facebook page, and formal media, namely news reports in which nurses are appreciated for their efforts, were used. Deductive content analysis was applied to analyse the narratives and news reports in relation to a definition of caring presence and types of caring presence. The analysis of the narratives and news reports resulted in an appreciative discourse in which examples of nurses practising caring presence could be provided. Examples of nurses practising caring presence could be found, and an appreciative discourse could be initiated. Appreciation ignites positive action and ownership of high-quality health care. Leadership should thus cultivate a culture of appreciating nurses, through using media, and encourage nurses to share how caring presence impact on quality in health care. © 2016 International Council of Nurses.

  6. Online worlds as media and communication format

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2009-01-01

    Digital media and network communication technology have not changed this setup, but rather have opened the possibility for encountering and experiencing additional types of worlds and performing additional types of spatial practices. Being situated online and being globally networked with the pos......Digital media and network communication technology have not changed this setup, but rather have opened the possibility for encountering and experiencing additional types of worlds and performing additional types of spatial practices. Being situated online and being globally networked...... with the possibility of both synchronous and asynchronous communication, digitally mediated worlds provide possible interactions between users which are radically more independent of time and place than the ones facilitated by older media. From this perspective, the concept of online worlds both challenges...... and broadens our understanding of how media shape the world and how the media technology creates new social structures...

  7. CSHCN in Texas: meeting the need for specialist care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, M Cherilyn; Drayton, Vonna L C; Menon, Ramdas; Walker, Lesa R; Parker, Colleen M; Cooper, Sam B; Bultman, Linda L

    2005-06-01

    Assuring the sufficiency and suitability of systems of care and services for children with special health care needs (CSHCN) presents a challenge to Texas providers, agencies, and state Title V programs. To meet the need for specialist care, referrals from primary care doctors are often necessary. The objective of this study was to describe the factors associated with the need for specialist care and problems associated with obtaining referrals in Texas. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) weighted sample for Texas (n = 719,014) to identify variables associated with the need for specialist care and problems obtaining referrals for specialist care. Medical need of the CSHCN and sensitivity to family values/customs was associated with greater need for specialist care, and Hispanic ethnicity and lower maternal education were associated with less need. Medical need, amount of time spent with doctors and sensitivity to values/customs, living in a large metropolitan statistical area, and lack of medical information were associated with problems obtaining a specialist care referral. Findings revealed some similarities and differences with meeting the need for specialist care when comparing Texas results to other studies. In Texas, aspects of customer satisfaction variables, especially doctors' sensitivity to family values/customs and parents' not receiving enough information on medical problems, were significantly associated with problems obtaining specialist referrals. Findings indicate a need to further research relationships and communication among doctors, CSHCN, and their families.

  8. Practical Public Relations: Effective PR Techniques for School Library/Media Specialists. Monograph Series No. 5.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behm, Mary W., Ed.

    This handbook of publicity ideas suggests activities and themes to highlight services and resources of school media centers, including approaches to students, faculty, administration, and the community at large. A 14-item annotated bibliography and six mailing list addresses are provided as additional sources for ideas. Clip art illustrations…

  9. Why do we report suicides and how can we facilitate suicide prevention efforts? Perspectives of Hong Kong media professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Qijin; Fu, King-wa; Caine, Eric; Yip, Paul S F

    2014-01-01

    The Hong Kong news media report suicide-related events more frequently and sensationally than Western countries. Little is known about Hong Kong media professionals' experiences and thoughts about such reporting. To understand Hong Kong media professionals' experiences and perceptions of suicide reporting and whether the news media can be better engaged into suicide prevention. We conducted three focus groups of journalists from both the Cantonese and English language news media. Data were analyzed using grounded theory methods. We discerned three rationales from participants regarding their intense coverage of suicide-related events: (1) satisfying commercial competitiveness, (2) addressing social problems, and (3) responding to readers' interests. The first rationale was a dominant and vigorous motivating factor, and often influenced suicide reporting among local Cantonese media. Media professionals recommended engagement strategies targeted at frontline journalists, media managers, and general media consumers. We see potential to involve news media professionals in Hong Kong as working partners in suicide prevention. To succeed, this effort requires engagement in a proactive, consistent, and sustained fashion.

  10. A network society, social media, migration and mission

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niemandt, Cornelius J. P. (Nelus

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Human mobility and migration are closely associated with and reciprocally influenced by globalisation. Add the relentless connectivity facilitated by the proliferation of mobile communication and the emergence of social media to this mixture, and an emerging new glocal culture is evident. People are not only migrating to new localities and territories, but simultaneously into a new culture. We are witnessing the greatest mass migration in the history of humanity from the real to the virtual world. It is a shift from shared space to shared interest. The metaphor of a river in flood has been used to describe the fact that migrant communities are a point of convergence of some of the biggest challenges facing the church and society at large: globalisation, hyperdiversity, interconnectedness, a Google culture and postmodern tribalism. Culture flows like a river and the church functions as a bridge connecting humans striving to make sense of life and Scripture as well as the tradition transmitted over the centuries. Some of the missional challenges will be to incarnate the gospel in this emerging culture. This study was positioned at the convergence of two important processes the rise of the network society (especially social media and migration. It took up two of the challenges posed at Edinburgh 2010, namely to fruitfully integrate the role of media in modern society into overall missiological thinking, and to think about the call for a structural reform of the church to grapple with the challenges of migration. The network society represents a profound social transformation. New technologies deliver connectedness in the palms of our hands and social media serve as an expression of the passion for connection, community and knowing others and being known by others. This research is a theoretical and missiological reflection on the role and importance of social media such as Facebook in migrant communities. It investigated issues such as

  11. GIS-facilitated spatial narratives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller-Jensen, Lasse; Jeppesen, Henrik; Kofie, Richard Y.

    2008-01-01

    on the thematically and narrative linking of a set of locations within an area. A spatial narrative that describes the - largely unsuccessful - history of Danish plantations on the Gold Coast (1788-1850) is implemented through the Google Earth client. This client is seen both as a type of media in itself for ‘home......-based' exploration of sites related to the narrative and as a tool that facilitates the design of spatial narratives before implementation within portable GIS devices. The Google Earth-based visualization of the spatial narrative is created by a Python script that outputs a web-accessible KML format file. The KML...

  12. DEVELOPMENT OF A WEB-BASED PROXIMITY BASED MEDIA SHARING APPLICATION

    OpenAIRE

    Erol Ozan

    2016-01-01

    This article reports the development of Vissou, which is a location based web application that enables media recording and sharing among users who are in close proximity to each other. The application facilitates the automated hand-over of the recorded media files from one user to another. There are many social networking applications and web sites that provide digital media sharing and editing functionalities. What differentiates Vissou from other similar applications is the functions and us...

  13. How Does Information Spread on Social Media Lead to Effective Change?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varghese, Thomas K

    2017-09-01

    Social media encompasses computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks. The key, of course, is the ability and willingness for information to be shared. But why does some information spread on social media and not others? What factors translate social media awareness to action? In this article, we explore these themes using case studies, as well as tips on how you can utilize social media to effectively champion a cause.

  14. Evaluation of a diabetes nurse specialist prescribing project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkinson, Jill; Carryer, Jenny; Adams, Jeffery

    2014-08-01

    To evaluate the diabetes nurse specialist prescribing project with the aim of determining whether diabetes nurse specialist prescribing is safe and effective and to inform the implementation and extension of registered nurse prescribing. Registered nurses in many countries are able to prescribe medicines, but in New Zealand, prior to the diabetes nurse specialist project, nurse practitioners were the only nurses who could prescribe medicines. New regulations allowed the nurses to prescribe a limited number of prescription medicines. The study was a process and outcome clinical programme evaluation. The project took place between April-September 2011 and involved 12 diabetes nurse specialist in four localities. Quantitative data were collected from clinical records maintained by the diabetes nurse specialist for the project (1274 patients and 3402 prescribing events), from surveys with stakeholders (general practitioners, n = 30; team members, n = 19; and patients, n = 89) and audits from patient notes (n = 117) and prescriptions (n = 227), and qualitative data from interviews with project participants (n = 18) and patients (n = 19). All data were analysed descriptively. Diabetes nurse specialist prescribing was determined to be safe, of high quality and appropriate. It brought important benefits to the effectiveness of specialist diabetes services, was acceptable to patients and was supported by the wider healthcare team. These findings are consistent with the findings reported in the international literature about nurse prescribing in a range of different practice areas. Clarification of the education and competence requirements and resourcing for the ongoing supervision of nurses is recommended if the prescribing model is to be extended. Diabetes nurse specialist prescribing improved access to medicines by providing a more timely service. Nurses felt more satisfied with their work because they could independently provide a complete episode of care

  15. Introduction: Researching online worlds: challenging media and communication studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kjetil Sandvik

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Digital media and network communication technology have not changed this setup, but rather have opened the possibility for encountering and experiencing additional types of worlds and performing additional types of spatial practices. Being situated online and being globally networked with the possibility of both synchronous and asynchronous communication, digitally mediated worlds provide possible interactions between users which are radically more independent of time and place than the ones facilitated by older media. From this perspective, the concept of online worlds both challenges and broadens our understanding of how media shape the world and how the media technology creates new social structures.

  16. Tobacco control advocacy in the age of social media: using Facebook, Twitter and change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hefler, Marita; Freeman, Becky; Chapman, Simon

    2013-05-01

    The tobacco industry's use of social media sites, such as Facebook, is an emerging area of research; however, this is the first study of the potential for social media to advance tobacco control. This paper presents three case studies of using social media for tobacco control advocacy, demonstrates how social media can facilitate direct and effective action, and provides tools and lessons learned for future campaigns.

  17. University student social media use and its influence on offline engagement in higher educational communities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karen Sutherland

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Previous research has emphasised social media adoption by students and the implementation of social media by educators, yet few studies have explored whether students are using it to facilitate engagement in offline environments with peers within university communities. Studies suggest engagement in educational communities and extra-curricular activities can reduce student attrition. This study surveyed 106 undergraduate students to investigate whether students using social media to interact online with their university felt: (i connected to the broader university community, and (ii social media helped them engage offline by meeting up with peers and attending university events. The results indicated that the majority (82% never or rarely used the technology to facilitate offline engagement within their academic communities. Fourth year students were most likely to use social media to engage offline (66.7%. However, more than half of students (52.8% felt that university social media profiles helped them to feel part of their academic community.

  18. Art Appreciation as a Learned Competence: A Museum-based Qualitative Study of Adult Art Specialist and Art Non-Specialist Visitors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rajka Bračun Sova

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Since Bourdieu, it has been argued that art appreciation requires “knowledge”. The focus of this qualitative study was to examine art appreciation as a learned competence by exploring two different groups of museum visitors: art specialists and art non-specialists. The research was conducted at Moderna galerija in Ljubljana. Twenty-three adults were recruited and accompanied during their visit to the museum. Participants were requested to “think out loud”, which meant to talk about what they saw, thought, and felt about the artworks. There was a short interview conducted with each participant before entering the museum to gain insight into their art-related and museum-visiting experience. The analysis of the data revealed that some processes of art appreciation were similar within the two groups. Both art specialists and art non-specialists interact with museum objects physically and intellectually; they see contents and formal qualities as a whole; they respond emotionally to artworks; appreciation includes their personal experience; they search museum interpretation/information for their understanding. Some noticeable differences were found. Art specialists respond to artworks with more understanding and are willing to put more effort into art appreciation, whereas art non-specialists respond with less understanding and put less effort into art appreciation. This paper focuses on the differences between the two groups; reflective and spontaneous appreciation of art, objective and subjective appreciation of art and the effort put into art appreciation. The paper ends with a discussion of the implications of the study for the teaching of art and museum education.

  19. Specialist training in pediatric anesthesia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Tom G

    2009-01-01

    There has been a great deal of focus on specialist training in pediatric anesthesia in the last decade or so. Internationally, however, there is still no uniform agreement as to how such a training program should be arranged and organized. Since September 2003, the Scandinavian Society of Anaesth......There has been a great deal of focus on specialist training in pediatric anesthesia in the last decade or so. Internationally, however, there is still no uniform agreement as to how such a training program should be arranged and organized. Since September 2003, the Scandinavian Society...... of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine has coordinated an advanced Inter-Nordic educational program in pediatric anesthesia and intensive care. The training program is managed by a Steering Committee. This program is intended for physicians who recently have received their specialist degree in anesthesiology...... and intensive care. The training period is 12 months of which 9 months are dedicated to pediatric anesthesia and 3 months to pediatric intensive care. During the 1-year training period, the candidates are designated a Scandinavian host clinic (at a tertiary pediatric center in Scandinavia approved...

  20. The characteristics of effective secondary math and science instructional facilitators and the necessary support structures as perceived by practitioners and principals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahagan, Vikki Lynn

    Instructional facilitators are known by a variety of titles depending on the school district in which they are employed. They are sometimes called instructional coaches, teacher leaders, lead teachers, and instructional specialist (Denton & Hasbrouck, 2009). Throughout this study, the title instructional facilitator was used and will refer to secondary math or science instructional facilitators who are housed at least one day per week on a campus. This study is a mixed-methods descriptive study which has identified character traits, specials skill, and talents possessed by effective secondary math and science instructional facilitators as perceived by practicing facilitators and principals and assistant principals who work along side instructional facilitators. Specific job training to help ensure the success of a facilitator was identified as viewed by both facilitators and principals. Additionally, this study compared the perceptions of practicing facilitators and principals to determine if significant differences exist with respect to perceptions of staff development opportunities, support structures, and resources available for instructional facilitators.

  1. [Changing to a career in general practice - a qualitative study reveals motives of specialists].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwill, Simon; Magez, Julia; Jäger, Cornelia; von Meißner, Wolfgang Cg; Szecsenyi, Joachim; Flum, Elisabeth

    2016-12-01

    the challenges of ageing and family life. A major finding was that without the slim-lined program, the majority of participants would not have changed their career. The slim-lined training program in general practice attracts experienced medical doctors. Specialists decide to change career because of the particular ways of working in general practice and with the intention to improve their daily work as a physician, either to improve individual working conditions and/or to improve their individual curative work profile. In addition, specialists are attracted by the concept of self-employment in general practice. Therefore, appreciation of the specific ways of working in general practice as well as management skills are most important during the reduced 2-year training. Further studies should investigate if facilitating a career switch to general practice is a good way to improve the shortage of general practitioners. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  2. Responding to the media challenge in a crisis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Algar, P.

    1997-01-01

    Constructive relationships with the media have positive benefits for companies when crises occur. Silence will be construed very negatively, the story will not vanish if the company ignores the media and nobody will defend the organisation as well as the company itself. A company also improves its chances of communicating speedily with all the sectors it needs to address if it has a constructive relationship with the media. The key to successful crisis management is planning, with the realisation that an emergency and public interest may last for many days and that day-to-day operations will have to be maintained meanwhile. Planning should assume that the worse kind of incident will occur probably at the least convenient time so emergency provision for contacting staff is important. An effective and comprehensive emergency manual must be written setting out in detail how the company would be organised to deal with an emergency and specifying the involvement of individuals and their duties. The manual should include a brief draft holding statement that can be completed quickly in the event and used for media enquiries. The next stage is to set up at least two specialist groups in advance, one to be the crisis management team and the other the media response team to deal with telephoned enquiries and to take details of requested interviews. Simulation exercises are of importance to test the emergency management structures and the personnel and should include the kind of media pressure the response team is likely to experience. (UK)

  3. [Databases for surgical specialists in Cancún, Quintana Roo].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Contla-Hosking, Jorge Eduardo; Ceballos-Martínez, Zoila Inés; Peralta-Bahena, Mónica Esther

    2004-01-01

    Our aim was to identify the level of knowledge of surgical health-area specialists in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico, from the personal productivity database. We carried out an investigation of 37 surgical specialists: 24 belonged to the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), while 13 belonged to the Mexican Health Secretariat (SSA). In our research, we found that 61% of surgical health-area specialist physicians were familiar with some aspects of the institutional surgical registry, including the following: 54% knew of the existence of a personal registry of surgeries carried out, and 43% keep a record of their personal activities. From the latter percentage, 69% of surgical health-area specialist physicians mentioned keeping their records manually, while 44% used the computer. Results of the research suggest that these physicians would like to have some kind of record of the surgeries carried out by each. An important percentage of these specialists do not keep a personal record on a database; due to this lack of knowledge, we obtain incorrect information in institutional records of the reality of what is actually done. We consider it important to inform surgical specialists concerning the existence of personal institutional records in database form or even of record done manually, as well as correct terminology for the International Codification (CIE-9 & 10). We inform here of the need to encourage a culture in records and databases in the formative stage of surgeon specialists.

  4. A survey of current and anticipated use of standard and specialist equipment by UK optometrists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dabasia, Priya L; Edgar, David F; Garway-Heath, David F; Lawrenson, John G

    2014-09-01

    To investigate current and anticipated use of equipment and information technology (IT) in community optometric practice in the UK, and to elicit optometrists' views on adoption of specialist equipment and IT. An anonymous online questionnaire was developed, covering use of standard and specialist diagnostic equipment, and IT. The survey was distributed to a random sample of 1300 UK College of Optometrists members. Four hundred and thirty-two responses were received (response rate = 35%). Enhanced (locally commissioned) or additional/separately contracted services were provided by 73% of respondents. Services included glaucoma repeat measures (30% of respondents), glaucoma referral refinement (22%), fast-track referral for wet age-related macular degeneration (48%), and direct cataract referral (40%). Most respondents (88%) reported using non-contact/pneumo tonometry for intra-ocular pressure measurement, with 81% using Goldmann or Perkins tonometry. The most widely used item of specialist equipment was the fundus camera (74% of respondents). Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) was used by 15% of respondents, up from 2% in 2007. Notably, 43% of those anticipating purchasing specialist equipment in the next 12 months planned to buy an OCT. 'Paperless' records were used by 39% of respondents, and almost 80% of practices used an electronic patient record/practice management system. Variations in responses between parts of the UK reflect differences in the provision of the General Ophthalmic Services contract or community enhanced services. There was general agreement that specialised equipment enhances clinical care, permits increased involvement in enhanced services, promotes the practice and can be used as a defence in clinico-legal cases, but initial costs and ongoing maintenance can be a financial burden. Respondents generally agreed that IT facilitates administrative flow and secure exchange of health information, and promotes a state-of-the-art practice image

  5. The evolution of resource adaptation: how generalist and specialist consumers evolve.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Junling; Levin, Simon A

    2006-07-01

    Why and how specialist and generalist strategies evolve are important questions in evolutionary ecology. In this paper, with the method of adaptive dynamics and evolutionary branching, we identify conditions that select for specialist and generalist strategies. Generally, generalist strategies evolve if there is a switching benefit; specialists evolve if there is a switching cost. If the switching cost is large, specialists always evolve. If the switching cost is small, even though the consumer will first evolve toward a generalist strategy, it will eventually branch into two specialists.

  6. Does the specialist nurse enhance or deskill the general nurse?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marshall, Z; Luffingham, N

    Much conflict and confusion surrounds the title and role of the specialist nurse, leading in some instances to disharmony between general and specialist nurses. It has been suggested that too many highly specialized nurses in a general area may lead to a deskilled workforce and fragmented care. Attempts to define the key concepts of specialist practice as described by the UKCC has resulted in elitism, conflict and abuse of the title. One suggestion to eliminate this conflict is for specialist nurses to achieve key competencies that encompass the role of the clinical expert. These key competencies should be devised by specialist nurses, in the absence of national guidelines, and be agreed by employers. They should incorporate the key roles of: change agent, expert clinician, educator, researcher and coordinator. It is contended that if all concerned have a clearer definition of the title, role and what is expected from the specialist nurse then this will result in reduced conflict and improved quality of care.

  7. Brazilian infectious diseases specialists: who and where are they?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alex Jones Flores Cassenote

    2016-03-01

    Conclusion: Our study shows that Brazilian infectious diseases specialists are predominantly young and female doctors. Most have concluded a medical residency training program. The absolute majority practice in the Southeastern region. However, some states from the Northern, Northeastern and Southeastern regions exhibit specialist rates above the national average. In these areas, nonetheless, there is a strong concentration of infectious diseases specialists in state capitals and in metropolitan areas.

  8. Educational programme on radiation protection for veterinary medicine specialists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Djuric, G.; Popovic, D.

    1992-01-01

    The education of radiation protection for veterinary medicine specialists on the University of Belgrade is integrated both in regular graduate studies and in postgraduate studies. Within the graduate studies, students attend courses in physics and biophysics and in radiation hygiene. During postgraduate or specialistic veterinary medicine studies, veterinary medicine specialists expand their knowledge in radiation protection through a number of courses on radiation biophysics, radioecology, nuclear instrumentation and environmental protection. (author)

  9. Potential barriers and facilitators for implementation of an integrated care pathway for hearing-impaired persons: an exploratory survey among patients and professionals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Verschuure Hans

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Because of the increasing costs and anticipated shortage of Ear Nose and Throat (ENT specialists in the care for hearing-impaired persons, an integrated care pathway that includes direct hearing aid provision was developed. While this direct pathway is still under investigation, in a survey we examined expectations and potential barriers and facilitators towards this direct pathway, of patients and professionals involved in the pathway. Methods Two study populations were assessed: members of the health professions involved in the care pathway for hearing-impaired persons (general practitioners (GPs, hearing aid dispensers, ENT-specialists and clinical audiologists and persons with hearing complaints. We developed a comprehensive semi-structured questionnaire for the professionals, regarding expectations, barriers, facilitators and conditions for implementation. We developed two questionnaires for persons with hearing complaints, both regarding evaluations and preferences, and administered them after they had experienced two key elements of the direct pathway: the triage and the hearing aid fitting. Results On average GPs and hearing aid dispensers had positive expectations towards the direct pathway, while ENT-specialists and clinical audiologists had negative expectations. Professionals stated both barriers and facilitators towards the direct pathway. Most professionals either supported implementation of the direct pathway, provided that a number of conditions were satisfied, or did not support implementation, unless roughly the same conditions were satisfied. Professionals generally agreed on which conditions need to be satisfied. Persons with hearing complaints evaluated the present referral pathway and the new direct pathway equally. Many, especially older, participants stated however that they would still visit the GP and ENT-specialist, even when this would not be necessary for reimbursement of the hearing aid, and

  10. 'The use of technical specialists in quality assurance audits'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Higgins, T.J.; Diaz, M.R.

    1993-01-01

    This paper provides a nontechnical discussion of the use of Technical Specialists in quality assurance audits by the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management's Office of Quality Assurance. The purpose is to describe one successful solution to the problem that arises when a quality assurance organization is responsible for conducting audits of many, diverse, highly technical activities. The solution is the conduct of audits that combine both horizontal and vertical sample selection strategies and which employ Technical Specialists in the vertical portion of the audit. The Technical Specialist is paired with a programmatic auditor who perform as a dedicated team in their conduct of the audit. This paper focuses on the Technical Specialist

  11. Wartawan Media Now dalam Mengemas Berita: Perspektif Situational Theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dasrun Hidayat

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The study aims to map and describe relationships between concepts of activity of journalists in the media now cloning technology based activities and relationship between news reporters. This study discusses the focus of news coverage in media activities and relationships among the journalists in the era of technology. The theory used is situational theory Grunig and Hunt and descriptive method of Public Relations. The study found that the situation changes in the era of media encourage actions of unscrupulous hunters cloning news. News media such as online media should now be used as the initial data is not the primary data news writing. The presence of media now facilitates the work of journalists but not always produce good quality of news. Otherwise, the presence of technology encourages more active cloning news reporter. Media now can initiate active and apathetic public situations as influenced by quality news content. The presence of media technology changes the image of the relationship between journalists—from person to person or reporter to reporter to journalists with media technology.

  12. Elder Specialists: Psychosocial Aspects of Medical Education in Geriatric Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCann-Stone, Nancy; Robinson, Sherry B.; Rull, Gary; Rosher, Richard B.

    2009-01-01

    This paper describes an Elder Specialist Program developed by one school of medicine to sensitize medical students to geriatric psychosocial issues. Elder Specialists participate in panel discussions as part of each geriatric session. As an alternative to traditional senior mentoring programs, the Elder Specialist Program provides all students a…

  13. Processes of recovery through routine or specialist treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD): a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katsakou, Christina; Pistrang, Nancy; Barnicot, Kirsten; White, Hayley; Priebe, Stefan

    2017-07-04

    Recovery processes in borderline personality disorder (BPD) are poorly understood. This study explored how recovery in BPD occurs through routine or specialist treatment, as perceived by service users (SUs) and therapists. SUs were recruited from two specialist BPD services, three community mental health teams, and one psychological therapies service. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 48 SUs and 15 therapists. The "framework" approach was used to analyse the data. The findings were organized into two domains of themes. The first domain described three parallel processes that constituted SUs' recovery journey: fighting ambivalence and committing to taking action; moving from shame to self-acceptance and compassion; and moving from distrust and defensiveness to opening up to others. The second domain described four therapeutic challenges that needed to be addressed to support this journey: balancing self-exploration and finding solutions; balancing structure and flexibility; confronting interpersonal difficulties and practicing new ways of relating; and balancing support and independence. Therapies facilitating the identified processes may promote recovery. The recovery processes and therapeutic challenges identified in this study could provide a framework to guide future research.

  14. Experience and views of academic psychiatrists on the role of spirituality in South African specialist psychiatry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janse Van Rensburg ABR

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The importance of having to consider the role of spirituality in health, mental health and psychiatry in South Africa has in particular been emphasized by recent legislation on African traditional health practice. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the views and experience of local psychiatrists regarding the role of spirituality in South African specialist psychiatric practice and training. METHOD: This study is an explorative, descriptive, contextual, phenomenological and theory-generating, qualitative investigation. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with individual academic psychiatrists affiliated to a local university were conducted as primary data source. Measures to ensure trustworthiness included credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. RESULTS: Awareness of spirituality, "mindfulness" and an open-minded approach about spirituality should, according to participants, be facilitated in psychiatric practice and training. Six themes were identified through open coding. DISCUSSION: All participants, disregarding of their own views on spirituality and religion, agreed, that under certain conditions, spirituality must be incorporated into the current bio-psycho-social approach in the local practice and training of specialist in psychiatry.

  15. Use of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination in Clinical Nurse Specialist Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuevas, Heather E; Timmerman, Gayle M

    2016-01-01

    Helping patients maximize their potential using expert coaching to facilitate lifestyle change is an important practice area for clinical nurse specialists (CNSs). The purpose is to determine the usefulness of objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) for evaluating CNS students' coaching competencies in the context of facilitating lifestyle change. Despite the use of OSCEs to assess competencies in clinical skills (eg, performance of procedures, decision making), its potential for evaluating coaching competencies for lifestyle change has not been demonstrated. We developed 4 OSCEs dealing with coaching patients in exercise, weight loss, stress reduction, or nonpharmacologic management of hyperlipidemia. Evaluation criteria included (1) approach to the patient, (2) information gathering, (3) motivational interviewing, and (4) management (medical and behavioral strategies). Student performance ranged from highly organized with proficient coaching skills to disorganized and focused solely on clinical management and prescriptive communication. Student responses were positive. Objective structured clinical examinations were highly useful for evaluating CNS students' coaching competencies for lifestyle change. Using OSCEs early in the semester to provide students feedback on their performance and again at the end to determine improvement optimizes use of this teaching strategy.

  16. Art Appreciation as a Learned Competence: A Museum-Based Qualitative Study of Adult Art Specialist and Art Non-Specialist Visitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bracun Sova, Rajka

    2015-01-01

    Since Bourdieu, it has been argued that art appreciation requires "knowledge". The focus of this qualitative study was to examine art appreciation as a learned competence by exploring two different groups of museum visitors: art specialists and art non-specialists. The research was conducted at Moderna galerija in Ljubljana. Twenty-three…

  17. Public service in the age of social network media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hjarvard, Stig

    2018-01-01

    This chapter addresses how, and to what extent, public service obligations and institutions may be redefined and extended to facilitate information flows and public deliberation using social network media as a remedy for democratic deficiencies of both older mass media and newer forms of network...... media. I make a case for three public service functions that have particular importance in social network media: curation, moderation, and monitoring. Building on a critique of the individualistic perspective underlying both cyber-optimist and -pessimist accounts of the potentials of social network...... media, an alternative and institutional perspective based on mediatization theory is introduced. I focus on the ongoing restructuring of societal spheres through which strategic and sociable forms of communication are challenging deliberative forms of communication. Based on recent studies on public...

  18. The Perceived Business Value of Social Media at Work

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Razmerita, Liana; Kirchner, Kathrin; Nielsen, Pia

    is customizable to specific user needs, empowering employees to design specific workflows thus helping them to work more effectively. Using social media, personal knowledge can be synergized into collective knowledge through social collaborative processes that may facilitate externalization of knowledge......Social Media is a new phenomenon that impacts businesses, society and individuals. Social media has swept into the business world, disrupting businesses, bringing new opportunities and challenges. The use of social media in organizations has the potential to shape the “future of the work”. Both...... consultancy reports and scholarly articles highlight and discuss the new opportunities and organizational benefits provided by social media to change the current top-down (i.e. initiated by management) business model to a more collaborative and bottom-up (i.e. initiated by employees) approach. Such a model...

  19. Stress, satisfaction and burnout among Dutch medical specialists

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Visser, Mechteld R. M.; Smets, Ellen M. A.; Oort, Frans J.; de Haes, Hanneke C. J. M.

    2003-01-01

    Background: Stress and stress-related illnesses are increasing among medical specialists. This threatens the quality of patient care. in this study we investigated (a) levels of job stress and job satisfaction among medical specialists, (b) factors contributing to stress and satisfaction and (c) the

  20. Social Media Integration In Secondary Education In Pakistan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rida Ahmed

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the adequacy of social media implementation in the context of secondary education in Pakistan and highlights the importance and necessity of social media in secondary education. This research has helped in understanding the pros and cons of social media implementation in classrooms and also facilitated in analyzing whether social media helps in student learning, classroom performances, competencies and academic grow. The qualitative study paradigm was used for this research. Six phenomenological interviews were conducted from secondary school teachers.In the light of the derived results. It was concluded that social media was an essential tool that could be used to make classrooms more engaging and ethnically diverse. Results suggested that teachers spent time implementing social media in their classrooms for academic purposes and teachers used these forums for self-education and to interact with like-minded people. Social media can serve the most momentous purposes in education system as today’s digitalized world is all about the Internet and technology, and hence it becomes compulsory for the educationist to understand the importance social networking

  1. Childhood otitis media is associated with dizziness in adulthood: the HUNT cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aarhus, Lisa; Tambs, Kristian; Hoffman, Howard J; Engdahl, Bo

    2016-08-01

    The objective of the study was to examine the association between otitis media in childhood and dizziness in adulthood. Longitudinal, population-based cohort study of 21,962 adults (aged 20-59 years, mean 40) who completed a health questionnaire in the Nord-Trøndelag Hearing Loss Study was conducted. At 7, 10 and 13 years of age, the same individuals underwent screening audiometry in a longitudinal school hearing investigation. Children found with hearing loss underwent an ear, nose and throat specialist examination. Adults diagnosed with childhood chronic suppurative otitis media (n = 102) and childhood hearing loss after recurrent acute otitis media (n = 590) were significantly more likely to have increased risk of reported dizziness when compared to adults with normal hearing as children at the school investigation and also a negative history of recurrent otitis media (n = 21,270), p otitis media and childhood hearing loss after recurrent acute otitis media are associated with increased risk of dizziness in adulthood. This might reflect a permanent effect of inflammatory mediators or toxins on the vestibular system. The new finding stresses the importance of treatment and prevention of these otitis media conditions.

  2. Understanding practice patterns of glaucoma sub-specialists in India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikhil S. Choudhari

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To obtain information on the prevailing practice patterns of glaucoma specialists in India. METHODS: Glaucoma specialists attending the Annual Conference of the Glaucoma Society of India (GSI were surveyed. This survey, conducted in 2013, was based on an interactive audience response system. RESULTS: The information was obtained from 146 glaucoma specialists. Approximately half (n=83; 57% had ≥10y of experience in managing glaucoma and were in institutional practice (n=74, 51%. Goldmann applanation tonometry was preferred by 103 (72% specialists whilst n=25 (17.4% used non-contact tonometer. Indentation gonioscopy was favoured by two-thirds (n=90, 66% whereas stereoscopic optic disc examination and visual fields using Humphrey perimeter was performed by a majority of the specialists surveyed (n=115, 86% and n=114; 83% respectively. Nearly three quarter specialists (n=96; 72% preferred optical coherence tomography for imaging. The primary choice for treatment of angle closure disease and primary open angle glaucoma was laser (iridotomy, n=117; 93% and medical management (prostaglandin analogue, n=104; 78%, respectively. Approximately only a third of the specialists surveyed (n=37; 28% were performing both trabeculectomy and implantation of a glaucoma drainage device and about half (n=64; 47% were not operating on congenital glaucoma at all. CONCLUSION: This survey has found conformance with preferred practice patterns in several areas of diagnosis and management of glaucoma, but there was diversity in a few areas. The information is a significant step towards improvement of glaucoma care in India, including planning for future strategies.

  3. PENGEMBANGAN MEDIA BONEKA TANGAN BERBASIS DIGITAL STORYTELLING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunina Resmi Prananta

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available This study was conducted based on the results of a needs analysis derived from interviews and field observations, namely that schools require the development of instructional media on Subtheme: Nation Cultural Diversity. These constraints require solutions to problems so needed instructional media to facilitate student so that effective learning. The aim of research and development is to produce a decent (valid, interesting, practical and effectively hand puppets media based DST on learning Subtheme: Nation Cultural Diversity for fourth graders of elementary school.This development used model Lee & Owens (2004. The results of the study are hand puppets media based DST decent and effective use in learning. Penelitian ini dilakukan berdasarkan hasil analisis kebutuhan yang diperoleh dari wawancara dan observasi lapangan yaitu sekolah membutuhkan pengembangan media pembelajaran pada subtema Keberagaman Budaya Bangsaku. Kendala tersebut memerlukan solusi pemecahan masalah sehingga diperlukan media pembelajaran yang dapat memudahkan siswa belajar sehingga pembelajaran berlangsung efektif. Tujuan dari penelitian dan pengembangan ini adalah menghasilkan produk media boneka tangan berbasis DST pada pembelajaran subtema Keberagaman Budaya Bangsaku untuk siswa kelas IV SD yang layak (valid, menarik, praktis dan efektif. Pengembangan produk ini menggunakan model Lee & Owens (2004. Hasil penelitian adalah media boneka tangan berbasis DST yang dikembangkan layak dan efektif digunakan dalam pembelajaran.

  4. MEDIA MASSA DAN RUANG PUBLIK (Analisis Perilaku Penggunaan Sosial Media dan Kemampuan Remaja dalam menulis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juwono Tri Atmodjo

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Mass communication media facilitate new web-based way to send a message and the transformation of a media value to others . It appears once as the number and types of social media with an excess of the ability to express ideas, opinions, funny stories, vent arena, and the troubled space with varying terminology The procedure varies penggunaannyapun penggunaannyapun more varied behavior . The survey was to assess the use of social media by ramaja and writing skills gained from the use of social media . Based on data analysis that ; social media most used by teens are Facebook, Twitter , and Yahoo! Messenger and chat through the use of social media is often done . Respondents are not familiar with the use of blogs, SlideShare , instagram, flicker, Skype, Myspace, Friendfeed, and Fhorum . Average use of social media by teens for 3 hours per day , which is accessed through the most HP to update the status, respondents were able to express the idea/ideas and feelings in writing, listening to other people's posts , teens learn the language, able to use symbols used teen, easy of expression, described feeling depressed and juvenile writing skills by using social media .   media komunikasi massa memfasilitasi cara berbasis web untuk mengirim pesan dan transformasi nilai media untuk orang lain. Tampaknya sekali sebagai jumlah dan jenis media sosial dengan kelebihan kemampuan untuk mengekspresikan ide, pendapat, cerita lucu, arena ventilasi, dan ruang bermasalah dengan berbagai terminologi. Prosedur bervariasi penggunaannyapun penggunaannyapun perilaku yang lebih bervariasi. survei ini adalah untuk menilai penggunaan media sosial oleh ramaja dan menulis keterampilan yang diperoleh dari penggunaan media sosial. Berdasarkan analisis data yang; media sosial paling banyak digunakan oleh remaja Facebook, Twitter, dan Yahoo! Messenger dan chatting melalui penggunaan media sosial sering dilakukan. Responden tidak akrab dengan penggunaan blog, Slide

  5. Exploring the situational motivation of medical specialists: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Burgt, Stéphanie M E; Kusurkar, Rashmi A; Croiset, Gerda; Peerdeman, Saskia M

    2018-02-26

    The aim was to obtain insight into the factors in the work environment that motivate or demotivate a medical specialist during his/her working day. A qualitative ethnographic design was used, and a constructivist approach was adopted with the Self-Determination theory of motivation as a framework. Six medical specialists from VU University Medical Center in the Netherlands, recruited through convenience, snowball, and purposive sampling, were shadowed for one day each. Data were transcribed and open-coded. Themes were finalized through discussion and consensus. Sixty hours of observation data identified motivating and demotivating factors categorized into four themes that are important for specialists' motivation. Informational technology issues are demotivating factors. Working with colleagues can be both a motivating and demotivating factor, e.g., filling in for each other through feelings of relatedness was motivating. Being in control of one's planning through feelings of autonomy was motivating. Furthermore, patient care and teaching, especially in combination, stimulated specialists' motivation. Regarding the design of the study, we found that situational motivation is indeed observable. The basic psychological needs autonomy, competence, and relatedness are important for specialists' motivation. Investing in a more motivating, open, transparent, and basic-needs- supportive work environment for medical specialists is necessary. Keywords: Continuing professional development, motivation, medical specialists, self-determination theory, qualitative research.

  6. Acting with Technology: Rehearsing for Mixed-Media Live Performances

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barkhuus, Louise; Rossitto, Chiara

    2016-01-01

    require a different type of engagement from the actors and rehearsing is challenging, as it can be impossible to rehearse with all the functional technology and interaction. Here, we report experiences from a case study of two mixed-media performances; we studied the rehearsal practices of two actors who......Digital technologies provide theater with new possibilities for combining traditional stage-based performances with interactive artifacts, for streaming remote parallel performances and for other device facilitated audience interaction. Compared to traditional theater, mixed-media performances...... and mixed media performances through addressing critical factors of implementing technology into rehearsal practices....

  7. Pharmacy, social media, and health: Opportunity for impact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cain, Jeff; Romanelli, Frank; Fox, Brent

    2010-01-01

    To discuss opportunities and challenges for pharmacists' use of social media to affect health care. Not applicable. Evolutions in social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) are beginning to alter the way society communicates. These new applications promote openness, user-generated content, social networking, and collaboration. The technologies, along with patient behaviors and desires, are stimulating a move toward more open and transparent access to health information. Although social media applications can reach large audiences, they offer message-tailoring capabilities that can effectively target specific populations. Another powerful aspect of social media is that they facilitate the organization of people and distribution of content-two necessary components of public health services. Although implementing health interventions via social media poses challenges, several examples exist that display the potential for pharmacists to use social media in health initiatives. Pharmacists have long played a role in educating patients on matters influencing health care. Social media offer several unique features that may be used to advance the role of pharmacy in health care initiatives. Public familiarity with social media, the economical nature of using social media, and the ability to disseminate information rapidly through social media make these new applications ideal for pharmacists wanting to provide innovative health care on both an individual and public level.

  8. Glaucoma Medication Preferences among Glaucoma Specialists in Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazcano-Gomez, Gabriel; Alvarez-Ascencio, Daniela; Haro-Zuno, Cindy; Turati-Acosta, Mauricio; Garcia-Huerta, Magdalena; Jimenez-Arroyo, Jesus; Castañeda-Diez, Rafael; Castillejos-Chevez, Armando; Gonzalez-Salinas, Roberto; Dominguez-Dueñas, Francisca; Jimenez-Roman, Jesus

    2017-01-01

    To determine the glaucoma specialists' preferences for the different brands of topical glaucoma medications available in Mexico. A web-based survey was sent to 150 board-certified glaucoma specialists in Mexico, with 14 questions related to brand preferences for all glaucoma medications available in Mexico. Participants were asked to select each glaucoma medication class by brand and to state the factors leading to their choice. Data from 111 (74%) glaucoma specialists were collected. Imot (timolol 0.5%; Sophia, Mexico) was the preferred brand for the beta-blockers (BB) class by 71% (n = 79) of the participants. Azopt (brinzolamide 1%; Alcon Lab, US) was the preferred carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (CAI) by 54% (n = 60) of the glaucoma specialists. Lumigan (bimatoprost 0.01% and 0.03%; Allergan Inc., U.S.) was the first choice for the prostaglandin analogues (PGAs) in 62% (n = 70) of the answers. The most frequently prescribed alpha-agonist (AA) was Agglad (brimonidine 0.2%; Sophia Lab, Mexico) in 44% (n = 49) of the answers. Medication accessibility (31%), cost (29%), and recommended dose (23%) were the three main factors influencing the glaucoma specialists' preferences. Medication cost and accessibility, as well as posology, remain the main factors influencing brand preferences among glaucoma doctors. In our professional opinion, the therapeutic effect must be the leading factor when prescribing topical medications in the daily practice, so that patients receive the best treatment option. This survey provides an understanding of the decision-making process when prescribing glaucoma medications by glaucoma specialists in a Latin American developing country. Ideally, patient treatment should be individualized and aimed to achieve the best results possible for their specific condition. How to cite this article: Lazcano-Gomez G, Alvarez-Ascencio D, Haro-Zuno C, Turati-Acosta M, Garcia-Huerta M, Jimenez-Arroyo J, Castañeda-Diez R, Castillejos-Chevez A, Gonzalez

  9. Graphene oxide-facilitated transport of levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in saturated and unsaturated porous media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Kaixuan; Dong, Shunan; Sun, Yuanyuan; Gao, Bin; Du, Wenchao; Xu, Hongxia; Wu, Jichun

    2018-04-15

    In this work, effects of graphene oxide (GO) on the co-transport of the two typical Fluoroquinolones (FQs) - levofloxacin (LEV) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) in saturated and unsaturated quartz sand media were studied. The adsorption isotherms showed that GO had much larger sorption capacities to LEV and CIP than sand with the largest Langmuir adsorption capacity of 409 mg g -1 (CIP-GO); while the sorption affinity of the two FQs onto the two adsorbents might follow the order of CIP-sand > LEV-sand > LEV-GO > CIP-GO. GO promoted the mobility of the two FQs in both saturated and unsaturated porous media due to its strong mobility and sorption capacity. The GO-bound LEV/CIP was responsible for the LEV/CIP transport in the porous media, and transport of GO-bound FQs increased with the increasing of initial GO concentration. Under unsaturated conditions, moisture showed little effect on the transport of GO-bound CIP; however, the mobility of GO-bound LEV reduced with the decreasing of moisture content, suggesting the transport of adsorbed LEV from GO to air-water interface. GO sorption reduced the antibacterial ability of the two FQs, but they were still effective in inhibiting E. coli growth. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. A Social Media-Based Mindful Yoga Program for Pregnant Women in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Sophie Huey-Ming; Lee, Chia-Wen; Tsao, Chien-Ming; Hsing, Hung-Chun

    2016-01-01

    Social media, a communication tool, is increasingly used to facilitate the engagement of experts (such as a health provider) and other participants in a wide range of programs. However, social media requires study to elucidate its applications under women health-related conditions. This work develops a social media-based mindful yoga program for pregnant women, and delivers media content by ways of Facebook platform and DVD. The results of pilot testing revealed users' preference of using Facebook platform. Developing experience and uses' responses can provide valuable information for further implement socialmedia based interventions.

  11. STS-95 Mission Specialist Duque suits up during TCDT

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    STS-95 Mission Specialist Pedro Duque of Spain, representing the European Space Agency, suits up in the Operations and Checkout Building prior to his trip to Launch Pad 39-B. Duque and the rest of the STS-95 crew are at KSC to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) which includes mission familiarization activities, emergency egress training, and a simulated main engine cutoff. The other crew members are Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai (M.D., Ph.D.), representing the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson, Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio, and Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown. The STS-95 mission, targeted for liftoff on Oct. 29, includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process. Following the TCDT, the crew will be returning to Houston for final flight preparations.

  12. Appropriation of social media for fostering effective tacit knowledge sharing: developing conceptual model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amidi, A.; Jabar, M.; Jusoh, Y. Y.; Abdullah, R.

    2017-09-01

    With the rising popularity of social media in the past few years, several researches ratiocinate that this type of interactive and collaborative technology could be a beneficial tool for the sharing of tacit knowledge. Nevertheless, very few literatures have tackled the subject of how social media could facilitate tacit knowledge sharing among medical practitioners, and what are its contributions in the area. Thus, the factors that drive individuals to share tacit knowledge need to be investigated further and included in literature. Through a systematic literature review, this study proposes seven enabling conditions which could potentially facilitate the sharing of tacit knowledge. TAM was applied as a novelty in this study in investigating the factors influencing knowledge sharing via social media, whilst taking into account the mediation effects of Attitude in social media usage. This study uncovered an important correlation between virtual settings and the conversion of tacit knowledge, which affects organizational members who are not co-located physically but have a crucial need for sharing information.

  13. Bridging the care continuum: patient information needs for specialist referrals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steltenkamp Carol L

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Information transfer is critical in the primary care to specialist referral process and has been examined extensively in the US and other countries, yet there has been little attention to the patient's perspective of the information transfer process. This cross-sectional study examined the quality of the information received by patients with a chronic condition from the referring and specialist physician in the specialist referral process and the relationship of the quality of information received to trust in the physicians. Methods Structured telephone interviews were conducted with a random sample of 250 patients who had experienced a referral to a specialist for the first visit for a chronic condition within the prior six months. The sample was selected from the patients who visited specialist physicians at any of the 500 hospitals from the National Research Corporation client base. Results Most patients (85% received a good explanation about the reason for the specialist visit from the referring physician yet 26% felt unprepared about what to expect. Trust in the referring physician was highly associated with the preparatory information patients received. Specialists gave good explanations about diagnosis and treatment, but 26% of patients got no information about follow-up. Trust in the specialist correlated highly with good explanations of diagnosis, treatment, and self-management. Conclusion Preparatory information from referring physicians influences the quality of the referral process, the subsequent coordination of care, and trust in the physician. Changes in the health care system can improve the information transfer process and improve coordination of care for patients.

  14. Specialist participation in healthcare delivery transformation: influence of patient self-referral.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aliu, Oluseyi; Sun, Gordon; Burke, James; Chung, Kevin C; Davis, Matthew M

    2014-01-01

    Improving coordination of care and containing healthcare costs are prominent goals of healthcare reform. Specialist involvement in healthcare delivery transformation efforts like Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) is necessary to achieve these goals. However, patients’ self-referrals to specialists may undermine care coordination and incur unnecessary costs if patients frequently receive care from specialists not engaged in such healthcare delivery transformation efforts. Additionally, frequent self-referrals may also diminish the incentive for specialist participation in reform endeavors like ACOs to get access to a referral base. To examine recent national trends in self-referred new visits to specialists. A descriptive cross-sectional study of new ambulatory visits to specialists from 2000 to 2009 using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. We calculated nationally representative estimates of the proportion of new specialist visits through self-referrals among Medicare and private insurance beneficiaries. We also estimated the nationally representative absolute number of self-referred new specialist visits among both groups of beneficiaries. Among Medicare and private insurance beneficiaries, self-referred visits declined from 32.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 24.0%-40.4%) to 19.6% (95% CI, 13.9%-23.3%) and from 32.4% (95% CI, 27.9%-36.8%) to 24.1% (95% CI,18.8%-29.4%), respectively. Hence, at least 1 in 5 and 1 in 4 new visits to specialists among Medicare and private insurance beneficiaries, respectively, are self-referred. The current considerable rate of self-referred new specialist visits among both Medicare and private insurance beneficiaries may have adverse implications for organizations attempting to transform healthcare delivery with improved care coordination.

  15. Methodological bases of innovative training of specialists in nanotechnology field

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    FIGOVSKY Oleg Lvovich

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The performance of innovative training system aimed at highly intellectual specialists in the area of nanotechnologies for Kazakhstan’s economy demands establishment and development of nanotechnological market in the country, teaching of innovative engineering combined with consistent research, integration of trained specialists with latest technologies and sciences at the international level. Methodological aspects of training competitive specialists for nanotechnological field are specific. The paper presents methodological principles of innovative training of specialists for science-intensive industry that were realized according to grant given by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

  16. National Target for South Asia Specialists. A Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Council on Foreign Language and International Studies, New York, NY.

    The South Asia Panel of the National Council on Foreign Languages and International Studies reports on the need for specialists in the languages and cultures of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Two categories of specialists are discussed: (1) individuals in government, mission, etc., in…

  17. Non-Critical-Care Nurses' Perceptions of Facilitators and Barriers to Rapid Response Team Activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkins, Sheryl Henry; Astroth, Kim Schafer; Woith, Wendy Mann

    2015-01-01

    Rapid response teams can save lives but are only effective when activated. We surveyed 50 nurses for their perceptions of facilitators and barriers to activation. Findings showed that participants need more education on their role and when to activate the rapid response team. Nurses who comprise the team need help building their communication skills. We recommend nursing professional development specialists increase the frequency of offerings and expand the focus on roles, activation criteria, and communication skills.

  18. Facilitators and barriers experienced by federal cross-sector partners during the implementation of a healthy eating campaign.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandez, Melissa Anne; Desroches, Sophie; Marquis, Marie; Turcotte, Mylène; Provencher, Véronique

    2017-09-01

    To identify facilitators and barriers that Health Canada's (HC) cross-sector partners experienced while implementing the Eat Well Campaign: Food Skills (EWC; 2013-2014) and describe how these experiences might differ according to distinct partner types. A qualitative study using hour-long semi-structured telephone interviews conducted with HC partners that were transcribed verbatim. Facilitators and barriers were identified inductively and analysed according partner types. Implementation of a national mass-media health education campaign. Twenty-one of HC's cross-sector partners (food retailers, media and health organizations) engaged in the EWC. Facilitators and barriers were grouped into seven major themes: operational elements, intervention factors, resources, collaborator traits, developer traits, partnership factors and target population factors. Four of these themes had dual roles as both facilitators and barriers (intervention factors, resources, collaborator traits and developer traits). Sub-themes identified as both facilitators and barriers illustrate the extent to which a facilitator can easily become a barrier. Partnership factors were unique facilitators, while operational and target population factors were unique barriers. Time was a barrier that was common to almost all partners regardless of partnership type. There appeared to be a greater degree of uniformity among facilitators, whereas barriers were more diverse and unique to the realities of specific types of partner. Collaborative planning will help public health organizations anticipate barriers unique to the realities of specific types of organizations. It will also prevent facilitators from becoming barriers. Advanced planning will help organizations manage time constraints and integrate activities, facilitating implementation.

  19. Understanding text as social practice: An exploration of the potential of systemic functional grammar to facilitate students' interpretation of media texts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jenny Clarence-Fincham

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available It has frequently been claimed that Halliday's Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG is apowerful linguistic tool which facilitates analytical and interpretative skills and provides aflexible, yet structured set of analytical tools with which to interpret texts. With this claim asa backdrop, this article asks whether SFG is, in fact an appropriate analytical approach forunder-graduate students and whether it can facilitate their ability to analyse texts. Its contextis a second level course, Analysing Media Texts, offered at Natal University. Broadly framedby critical discourse analysis, it traces the development of a thirteen week module and,using student analyses for illustrative purposes, identifies pedagogical challenges anddifficulties that need to be confronted before any strong claims can be made. It is concludedthat, on the evidence of students' responses to texts analysed during this course, it is not yetpossible to make strong claims about the benefits of SFG. There is enough positiveevidence, however, to pursue the possibility that with innovative curriculum development andthe careful scaffolding and integration of concepts, SFG will be clearly shown to have anextremely important role to play.Daar is dikwels beweer dat Halliday se Sistemies-Funksionele Grammatika (SFG 'n kragtige linguistiese middel is wat analitiese en interpreterende vaardighede bevorder en 'n plooibare, dog gestruktureere stel analitiese gereedskap verskaf waarmee tekste gei"nterpreteer kan word. Met die bewering as agtergrond vra hierdie artikel of SFG inderdaad 'n toepas like analitiese benadering vir voorgraadse studente is en of dit hulle vermoe om tekste te ontleed, bevorder. Die konteks is 'n tweedejaarskursus, Analysing Media Texts, wat aan die Universiteit van Natal aangebied word. Breedweg omraam deur kritiese diskoersanalise, speur die artikel die ontwikkeling van 'n module van dertien weke na, met gebruik van studenteontledings ter illustrasie en identifiseer

  20. Wrestling with Social Media on Information Systems’ Home Ground

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haahr, Lars

    2014-01-01

    While there are many possible approaches and areas of research for the study of social media, a review shows that only a few of these are used in extant information systems literature. The paper therefore suggests that increased awareness of the possibilities can strengthen research in social media....... It is also suggested that information systems scholars can strengthen their interdisciplinary position by making the information systems discipline itself the home ground for research about social media. To address the issue of possible approaches and areas of research, the paper develops a framework...... that includes conceptual framing and methodology as well as research areas in the information systems discipline. First, the framework guides a review of extant literature about external social media. Going forward, the framework facilitates the development of a future research agenda about social media...

  1. Optometry Specialist (AFSC 91255).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kille, Michael O.

    This four-volume student text is designed for use by Air Force personnel enrolled in a self-study extension course for optometry specialists. Covered in the individual volumes are optometry clinic administration (optometry career and field training, ethical relationships and professionalism, eligibility for optometric care and appointment…

  2. "Snapchat," Youth Subjectivities and Sexuality: Disappearing Media and the Discourse of Youth Innocence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charteris, Jennifer; Gregory, Sue; Masters, Yvonne

    2018-01-01

    Research on youth subjectivities and disappearing media is still in its infancy. Ephemeral technologies such as Snapchat, Frankly and Wickr offer young people opportunities for discursive agency, harnessing teenage discourses of social positioning. These media facilitate social mobility in teen peer contexts by providing a medium for dynamic and…

  3. A qualitative evaluation of the Scottish Staff and Associate Specialist Development Programme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cleland, Jennifer; Burr, Jacqueline; Johnston, Peter

    2016-05-01

    The continued professional development of staff and associate specialist doctors in the UK was ill served prior to the introduction of the new staff and associate specialist doctor's contract in 2008. The aim of this study was to independently evaluate NHS Education for Scotland's approach to improving professional development for staff and associate specialist doctors, the staff and associate specialist Professional Development Fund. Semi-structured telephone interviews with key stakeholders, framed by a realistic approach to evaluate what works, for whom and in how and under what circumstances. An inductive and data-driven thematic analysis was carried out and then the realist framework was applied to the data. We interviewed 22 key stakeholders: staff and associate specialist doctors, staff and associate specialist educational advisors, programme architects and clinical directors, between end February and May 2014. The resultant data indicated five broad themes: organisational barriers to continued professional development for staff and associate specialist doctors, the purpose of funding, gains from funding, the need for better communication about the staff and associate specialist Programme Development Fund, and the interplay between individual and systems factors. The staff and associate specialist Programme Development Fund has changed the opportunities available to staff and associate specialist doctors in Scotland and, in that sense, has changed the context for this group - or at least those who have realised the opportunities. © The Author(s) 2016.

  4. Perceptions on the Effectiveness of Communication between Public Institutions and Journalists through Social Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihaela Păun

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available This article presents the challenges and opportunities of social media for public institutions and argues that the designing and implementing government public relations using social media involves more than merely having another communication channel for publics. I will explain the “social media”, the differences between social media and electronic-Public Relations - E-PR, and the communication between public institutions and journalists. The interviews with journalists or with PR specialists in public institutions were focused on the use, the extent of this use, and the perceived value of various social media as sources contributing to agenda building (Cobb, Elder 1983. If journalists are regularly monitoring sites and forums for story ideas and information, it is necessary for PR professionals within each industry to carefully monitor the information placed there and perhaps engage content producers. In this paper, I conclude that social media is an alternative instrument to encourage a two-way communication channel between government and publics. In public relations, the emergence of social media challenges the traditional instruments of government public relations. Responding to the development of information and communication technology (ICT, social media is considered as an alternative communication channel of government public relations efforts.

  5. Advance directives: the clinical nurse specialist as a change agent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meehan, Karen Anne

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe the impact the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) has on the advance directive process within the cardiac surgery patient population. As a change agent, the CNS needs to be able to increase the number of advance directives obtained and increase the provision of dignified, self-directed, quality patient care. With requirements from The Joint Commission and the Patient Self-determination Act, the change in process must take place to ensure that healthcare professionals are doing all they can do to carry out a patient's wishes. The 6-Source Influencer Model is applied to a case study to illustrate the role of the CNS as a change agent. Following this model, the CNS can facilitate lasting institutional change in the advance directive process. Based on the example, it is possible that a CNS can act as a change agent for other patient populations within the healthcare setting.

  6. UK HSE Training of HM Radiation Specialist Inspectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nattres, E.; Barrett, J. A.

    2004-01-01

    HSE's mission is to ensure that risks to people's health and safety from work activities are properly controlled. Radiation Specialist Inspectors make an essential contribution to HSE's objectives through the application of their professional skills and knowledge. The role of the Radiation Specialist Inspector includes inspection work in the field to ensure compliance by employers with the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 and associated legislation. They also contribute to research, and the development of technical policy, legislation, standards, and guidance on protection against the possible harm from exposure to electromagnetic fields, optical or ionizing radiation. This paper explains how Radiation Specialist Inspectors are trained. It starts with the recruitment process, with an emphasis on recruiting people who have already gained relevant experience from radiation work practices in previous employments. The interview process is explored, which includes both technical and behavioural interviews, making a presentation and completing a personality questionnaire. The initial twelve months training is then discussed in detail, including the six months as a general Health and Safety Inspector where inspector' skills and techniques' are developed by practical involvement in inspection, followed by a challenging six months with a Radiation Specialist group. The programme for this period is designed to broaden and develop skills and knowledge within the radiation protection specialist. After the initial twelve months probationary period, new Inspectors are expected to confirm and establish themselves in their role of Radiation Specialist Inspectors. However, it does not end there, continuing professional development to ensure that Inspectors have cutting edge knowledge of the latest advances within the radiation field and health and safety as a whole is essential and will be discussed in more detail. (Author) 6 refs

  7. The clinical nurse specialist: leadership in quality improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finkelman, Anita

    2013-01-01

    Healthcare delivery is in a crisis, requiring improvement. How to improve and who should assume more leadership are not clear. At the same time, the nursing profession struggles with a weak education system, graduating students who require major support for an extended time. There is also confusion related to nursing roles, particularly with nurses who have a graduate degree. The Institute of Medicine has published a series of reports about the healthcare system and need for improvement and describes a structure for improvement. The clinical nurse specialist is particularly suited to assume a major role in nursing leadership to guide staff and the healthcare system to better ensure improved care. There is great need to communicate that the clinical nurse specialist can and should assume this role. This will require a review and development of more quality improvement content and experiences in clinical nurse specialist educational programs, but much of the content is already in programs. The clinical nurse specialist works in systems, impacts systems, works with staff, and can thus reach more patients with improvement approaches.

  8. TRAINING SYSTEM OF FUTURE SPECIALISTS: QUALITY CONTROL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir A. Romanov

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the investigation is development of innovative strategy of quality control training of engineers and skilled workers (hereinafter – future specialists in educational professional organizations on the principles of social partnership.Methods. Theoretic: theoretic and methodological analysis, polytheoretic synthesis, modeling. Empirical: research and generalization of the system, process and competence – based approaches experience, experiment, observation, surveys, expert evaluation, SWOT-analysis as a method of strategic planning which is to identify the internal and external factors (socio-cultural of the organization surrounding.Results. The strategy of the development of the process of quality control training in educational professional organizations and a predictive model of the system of quality control training for future engineers and workers have been created on the analysis and synthesis of a quantitative specification of the quality, the obtained experience and success in control training of future specialists in educational professional organizations in recent economic and educational conditions.Scientific novelty. There has been built a predicative model of quality control training of future specialists to meet modern standards and the principles of social partnership; the control algorithm of the learning process, developed in accordance with the standards (international of quality ISO in the implementation of the quality control systems of the process approach (matrix-based responsibility, competence and remit of those responsible for the education process in the educational organization, the «problem» terms and diagnostic tools for assessing the quality of professional training of future specialists. The perspective directions of innovation in the control of the quality of future professionals training have been determined; the parameters of a comprehensive analysis of the state of the system to ensure the

  9. Perceptions of northeast Thai breastfeeding mothers regarding facilitators and barriers to six-month exclusive breastfeeding: focus group discussions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thepha, Thiwawan; Marais, Debbie; Bell, Jacqueline; Muangpin, Somjit

    2018-01-01

    The 6-month exclusive breastfeeding rate in the Northeast region of Thailand has recently significantly decreased in contrast to all other regions in Thailand. The factors that have influenced this decrease remain unknown. Hence, it is suggested that an investigation into factors that could improve or hinder EBF for 6 months in Northeast Thailand may be required to inform the development of relevant interventions to improve this situation. This study aimed to identify perceived facilitators and barriers to providing exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months in Northeast Thailand among breastfeeding mothers. Six focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 30 mothers aged 20 to 40 years who had children aged between 4 and 6 months and were currently breastfeeding or had breastfeeding experience. Participants were recruited through self-selection sampling from Khonkaen hospital (urban), Numphong hospital (peri-urban) and private hospitals (urban) in Khonkaen, Thailand. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. Five main themes, with 10 sub-themes, were identified as either facilitators (+) or barriers (-), or in some cases, as both (+/-). Breastfeeding knowledge, perceptions, maternal circumstances, support, and traditional food were the main identified themes. Mother's breastfeeding knowledge, intention to breastfeed, and social media were perceived as facilitators. Perceptions, employment, and formula milk promotion were perceived as barriers. Family, healthcare, and traditional food were perceived as both facilitators and barriers. The perception that social media was a way to access breastfeeding knowledge and support mothers in Northeast Thailand emerged as a new facilitating factor that had not previously been identified in Thai literature relating to facilitators and barriers to exclusive breastfeeding. Intention to breastfeed, family support, healthcare support and traditional food were mentioned by all groups, whereas mothers from urban

  10. A GoldSim Model for Colloid Facilitated Nuclide Transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Youn Myoung; Jeong, Jong Tae

    2010-01-01

    Recently several total system performance assessment (TSPA) programs, called 'template' programs, ready for the safety assessment of radioactive waste repository systems which are conceptually modeled have been developed by utilizing GoldSim and AMBER at KAERI. It is generally believed that chelating agents (chelators) that could be disposed of together with radioactive wastes in the repository and natural colloids available in the geological media affect on nuclides by enhancing their transport in the geological media. A simple GoldSim module to evaluate such quantitative effects, by which colloid and chelator-facilitated nuclide release cases could be modeled and evaluated is introduced. Effects of the chelators alone are illustrated with the case associated with well pumping scenario in a hypothetical repository system

  11. Sailing a safe ship: improving patient safety by enhancing the leadership skills of new consultant specialist surgeons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Peter; Cross, Vinette; Sii, Freda

    2013-01-01

    The potential for "discontinuities in care" arising from the turbulent transition from specialist trainee to consultant specialist presents risks to patient safety. But it is easy to lose sight of the affective needs of individuals facing the burden of keeping patients safe. This article describes a 2-day program focused on new and prospective consultant specialist ophthalmic surgeons entitled "Sailing a Safe Ship" (SASS). The purpose was to facilitate understanding and analysis of their personal holistic learning needs and enhance individual agency in optimizing learning during the transition period. The program used gaming, team challenges, meta-planning, role play and professional actors, interactive presentations, and self-analysis tools to portray the real world of consultant specialist practice in terms of ill-defined problems requiring "elite communication" and effective negotiation of value differences and priorities for their resolution. Participants' insights into their individual learning were recorded in scheduled reflective sessions. The immediate impact on their learning was also considered in terms of direct (instructional) and indirect (nurturant) effects. Participants' insights reflected 4 key themes: admitting vulnerability and uncertainty, taking responsibility for managing risk, being self-aware and reflexive, and internalizing authentic leadership. Four instructional and 4 nurturant effects were revealed. Preliminary findings on long-term impact on participants' practice are outlined. Evidence from the evaluation indicated that participants felt empowered to construct a personal strategic response to unfamiliar and unanticipated workplace demands and pressures, adopt a capability mindset that would accelerate their capacity to fulfill an enhanced leadership role, and take a holistic approach to their continuing self-directed development as leaders and educators. Copyright © 2013 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions

  12. First year nursing students' experiences of social media during the transition to university: a focus group study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferguson, Caleb; DiGiacomo, Michelle; Saliba, Bernard; Green, Janet; Moorley, Calvin; Wyllie, Aileen; Jackson, Debra

    2016-10-01

    Social media platforms are useful for creating communities, which can then be utilised as a mean for supportive, professional and social learning. To explore first year nursing student experiences with social media in supporting student transition and engagement into higher education. Qualitative focus groups. Ten 1st year Bachelor of Nursing students were included in three face-to-face focus groups. Data were analysed using qualitative thematic content analysis. Three key themes emerged that illustrates the experiences of transition and engagement of first year student nurses using social media at university. (1) Facilitating familiarity and collaboration at a safe distance, (2) promoting independent learning by facilitating access to resources, and (3) mitigating hazards of social media. This study has demonstrated the importance of social media in supporting informal peer-peer learning and support, augmenting online and offline relationships, and building professional identity as a nurse.

  13. Host specialist clownfishes are environmental niche generalists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Litsios, Glenn; Kostikova, Anna; Salamin, Nicolas

    2014-01-01

    Why generalist and specialist species coexist in nature is a question that has interested evolutionary biologists for a long time. While the coexistence of specialists and generalists exploiting resources on a single ecological dimension has been theoretically and empirically explored, biological systems with multiple resource dimensions (e.g. trophic, ecological) are less well understood. Yet, such systems may provide an alternative to the classical theory of stable evolutionary coexistence of generalist and specialist species on a single resource dimension. We explore such systems and the potential trade-offs between different resource dimensions in clownfishes. All species of this iconic clade are obligate mutualists with sea anemones yet show interspecific variation in anemone host specificity. Moreover, clownfishes developed variable environmental specialization across their distribution. In this study, we test for the existence of a relationship between host-specificity (number of anemones associated with a clownfish species) and environmental-specificity (expressed as the size of the ecological niche breadth across climatic gradients). We find a negative correlation between host range and environmental specificities in temperature, salinity and pH, probably indicating a trade-off between both types of specialization forcing species to specialize only in a single direction. Trade-offs in a multi-dimensional resource space could be a novel way of explaining the coexistence of generalist and specialists. PMID:25274370

  14. Find an Endocrinology - Thyroid Specialist

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... History Resource Center Patients Thyroid Information Find an Endocrinology – Thyroid Specialist Patient Support Links Clinical Thyroidology for ... Access Thyroid Online Access Clinical Thyroidology Online Video Endocrinology Donate Give Online Research Accomplishments Ridgway Legacy Fund ...

  15. Social Media and the Practicing Hematologist: Twitter 101 for the Busy Healthcare Provider.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Michael A; Majhail, Navneet S; Wood, William A; Perales, Miguel-Angel; Chaboissier, Mélanie

    2015-12-01

    Social media is a relatively new form of media that includes social networks for communication dissemination and interaction. Patients, physicians, and other users are active on social media including the microblogging platform Twitter. Many online resources are available to facilitate joining and adding to online conversations. Social media can be used for professional uses, therefore, we include anecdotes of physicians starting on and implementing social media successfully despite the limits of time in busy practices. Various applications demonstrating the utility of social media are explored. These include case discussions, patient groups, research collaborations, medical education, and crowdsourcing/crowdfunding. Social media is integrating into the professional workflow for some individuals and hematology/oncology societies. The potential for improving hematology care and research is just starting to be explored.

  16. Sharing and Discussing News in Private Social Media Groups

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Swart, Joëlle; Peters, Chris; Broersma, Marcel

    2018-01-01

    to their membership in a particular (1) location-based (2) work-related or (3) leisure-oriented community. It finds that communication within social media communities whose members consider their ties as weak generally tended to be more news-centred. Even more significant was perceived control over privacy......Social media platforms are an increasingly dominant medium through which people encounter news in everyday life. Yet while we know more-and-more about frequency of use and sharing, content preferences and network configurations around news use on social media, the social experiences associated...... with such practices remain relatively unexplored. This paper addresses this gap to consider if and how news facilitates conversations in everyday contexts where social media play a communicative role. It investigates how people engage with current affairs collectively in different social formations...

  17. The Importance of Social Media in Business Models on Internet

    OpenAIRE

    Nicodim Liliana; Negoi Eugen Remus; Tileaga Cosmin

    2012-01-01

    Social media is a term that reflects the rapid development of technology and the skills and knowledge users, a complex concept for which there is no universally accepted definition. The term defines generic, a set of online communication channels, social networks and transmission of information, including social networks, groups, forums, blogs and various content platforms that facilitate transmission and instant communication (Safko, L., The Social Media Bible, John Willey & Sons, New Jersey...

  18. Animal-cell culture media: History, characteristics, and current issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Tatsuma; Asayama, Yuta

    2017-04-01

    Cell culture technology has spread prolifically within a century, a variety of culture media has been designed. This review goes through the history, characteristics and current issues of animal-cell culture media. A literature search was performed on PubMed and Google Scholar between 1880 and May 2016 using appropriate keywords. At the dawn of cell culture technology, the major components of media were naturally derived products such as serum. The field then gradually shifted to the use of chemical-based synthetic media because naturally derived ingredients have their disadvantages such as large batch-to-batch variation. Today, industrially important cells can be cultured in synthetic media. Nevertheless, the combinations and concentrations of the components in these media remain to be optimized. In addition, serum-containing media are still in general use in the field of basic research. In the fields of assisted reproductive technologies and regenerative medicine, some of the medium components are naturally derived in nearly all instances. Further improvements of culture media are desirable, which will certainly contribute to a reduction in the experimental variation, enhance productivity among biopharmaceuticals, improve treatment outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies, and facilitate implementation and popularization of regenerative medicine.

  19. Social Media Use, Friendship Quality, and the Moderating Role of Anxiety in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Schalkwyk, Gerrit I.; Marin, Carla E.; Ortiz, Mayra; Rolison, Max; Qayyum, Zheala; McPartland, James C.; Lebowitz, Eli R.; Volkmar, Fred R.; Silverman, Wendy K.

    2017-01-01

    Social media holds promise as a technology to facilitate social engagement, but may displace offline social activities. Adolescents with ASD are well suited to capitalize on the unique features of social media, which requires less decoding of complex social information. In this cross-sectional study, we assessed social media use, anxiety and…

  20. Social media for radiologists: an introduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranschaert, Erik R; van Ooijen, P M A; Lee, Simon; Ratib, Osman; Parizel, P M

    2015-12-01

    Social media, which can be defined as dynamic and interactive online communication forums, are becoming increasingly popular, not only for the general public but also for radiologists. In addition to assisting radiologists in finding useful profession-related information and interactive educational material in all kinds of formats, they can also contribute towards improving communication with peers, clinicians, and patients. The growing use of social networking in healthcare also has an impact on the visibility and engagement of radiologists in the online virtual community. Although many radiologists are already using social media, a large number of our colleagues are still unaware of the wide spectrum of useful information and interaction available via social media and of the added value these platforms can bring to daily practice. For many, the risk of mixing professional and private data by using social media creates a feeling of insecurity, which still keeps radiologists from using them. In this overview we aim to provide information on the potential benefits, challenges, and inherent risks of social media for radiologists. We will provide a summary of the different types of social media that can be of value for radiologists, including useful tips on how to use them safely and efficiently. • Online social networking enhances communication and collaboration between peers • Social media facilitate access to educational and scientific information • Recommendations and guidelines from policymakers and professional organisations are needed • Applications are desired for efficient and secure exchange of medical images in social media.

  1. Transcriptional profile and differential fitness in a specialist milkweed insect across host plants varying in toxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birnbaum, Stephanie S L; Rinker, David C; Gerardo, Nicole M; Abbot, Patrick

    2017-12-01

    Interactions between plants and herbivorous insects have been models for theories of specialization and co-evolution for over a century. Phytochemicals govern many aspects of these interactions and have fostered the evolution of adaptations by insects to tolerate or even specialize on plant defensive chemistry. While genomic approaches are providing new insights into the genes and mechanisms insect specialists employ to tolerate plant secondary metabolites, open questions remain about the evolution and conservation of insect counterdefences, how insects respond to the diversity defences mounted by their host plants, and the costs and benefits of resistance and tolerance to plant defences in natural ecological communities. Using a milkweed-specialist aphid (Aphis nerii) model, we test the effects of host plant species with increased toxicity, likely driven primarily by increased secondary metabolites, on aphid life history traits and whole-body gene expression. We show that more toxic plant species have a negative effect on aphid development and lifetime fecundity. When feeding on more toxic host plants with higher levels of secondary metabolites, aphids regulate a narrow, targeted set of genes, including those involved in canonical detoxification processes (e.g., cytochrome P450s, hydrolases, UDP-glucuronosyltransferases and ABC transporters). These results indicate that A. nerii marshal a variety of metabolic detoxification mechanisms to circumvent milkweed toxicity and facilitate host plant specialization, yet, despite these detoxification mechanisms, aphids experience reduced fitness when feeding on more toxic host plants. Disentangling how specialist insects respond to challenging host plants is a pivotal step in understanding the evolution of specialized diet breadths. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Professional training of future specialists with the use of information technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Виктор Семенович Корнилов

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with implementation of information technologies within different levels of professional training of the future specialists at A. Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University. Information technologies enable the future specialists to engage in online exchanges and it gives great good opportunity in learning the subject efficiently; thereby expanding their study and learning community during the classroom activity. The results obtained by the use of the information technologies show improvements in professional training of the future specialists in teaching foreign language. The use of information technology in teaching is increasing, which should lead to a significant improvement of the training quality of future specialists. Improvements also are observed in the experimental groups of higher levels, which indicates the efficiency of the use of information technologies in the professional training of future specialists.

  3. Media Literacy as an Educational Method for Addressing College Women's Body Image Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chambers, Karen L.; Alexander, Susan M.

    2007-01-01

    This study assesses the effectiveness of media literacy in the college classroom by comparing two modalities of learning, watching a video versus reading a text. The research questions guiding this project are: as teachers can we facilitate critical awareness among our students in order to alter the way women appropriate media images to evaluate…

  4. Redefining "Community" through Collaboration and Co-Teaching: A Case Study of an ESOL Specialist, a Literacy Specialist, and a Fifth-Grade Teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed Hersi, Afra; Horan, Deborah A.; Lewis, Mark A.

    2016-01-01

    This article explores the development of a professional learning community through a case study of three teachers--an ESOL specialist, a literacy specialist, and a fifth-grade teacher--who engaged in co-teaching and collaboration. The emerging community of practice offered these teachers a space to learn and problem-solve by utilizing their…

  5. The School Librarian as Information Specialist: A Vibrant Species

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Frances Jacobson

    2011-01-01

    In this article, the author talks about the school librarian as information specialist. She stresses that the school librarian's information specialist role is more important than ever. She offers her personal toolkit that consists of four strategies in helping and teaching students to use content responsibly.

  6. Evaluation of the current landscape of respiratory nurse specialists in the UK: planning for the future needs of patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yorke, Janelle; Prigmore, Sam; Hodson, Matt; Stonham, Carol; Long, Hannah; Bellhouse, Sarah; Fletcher, Monica; Edwards, Sheila

    2017-01-01

    The National Health Service currently faces significant challenges and must optimise effective workforce planning and management. There are increasing concerns regarding poor workforce planning for respiratory medicine; a greater understanding of the role of respiratory nurse specialists will inform better workforce planning and management. This was a survey study. Two surveys were administered: an organisational-level survey and an individual respiratory nurse survey. There were 148 and 457 respondents to the organisational and individual nurse survey, respectively. Four main themes are presented: (1) breadth of service provided; (2) patient care; (3) work environment; and (4) succession planning. The majority of work conducted by respiratory nurse specialists relates to patient care outside the secondary care setting including supporting self-management in the home, supporting patients on home oxygen, providing hospital-at-home services and facilitating early discharge from acute care environments. Yet, most respiratory nursing teams are employed by secondary care trusts and located within acute environments. There was evidence of multidisciplinary working, although integrated care was not prominent in the free-text responses. High workload was reported with one-quarter of nursing teams short-staffed. Respiratory nurses reported working unpaid extra hours and a lack of administrative support that often took them away from providing direct patient care. Nearly half of the present sample either plan to retire or are eligible for retirement within 10 years. This survey report provides a current snapshot of the respiratory nurse specialist workforce in the UK. This workforce is an ageing population; the results from this survey can be used to inform succession planning and to ensure a viable respiratory nurse specialist workforce in future.

  7. Social Media and Organizing – An Empirical Analysis of the Role of Wiki Affordances in Organizing Practices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mansour, Osama; Askenäs, Linda; Ghazawneh, Ahmad

    2013-01-01

    The evolution of social media has introduced novel possibilities for work and interaction in organizations. The wiki technology is one important kind of social media technologies that is increasingly used to facilitate the creation and sharing of organizational knowledge within communities. Given...... in that they extend the notion of affordance by theorizing new concepts that describe relational dynamics, situated and contextual conditions, and social factors involved in enacting, perceiving, and exploiting affordances.......The evolution of social media has introduced novel possibilities for work and interaction in organizations. The wiki technology is one important kind of social media technologies that is increasingly used to facilitate the creation and sharing of organizational knowledge within communities. Given...... the increasing use of social media in organizations and the lack of knowledge on their consequences for organizing, we use an affordance lens to explore the enactment of organizational wiki affordances. Using qualitative data obtained through interviews, field visits, and documents from two multinational...

  8. Groupwork and participatory media

    OpenAIRE

    Brailas, Alexios; Nika, Stella

    2015-01-01

    Face-to-face groupwork sessions combined with online participatory social media could be a quite promising pedagogical strategy. In this paper, we present the pedagogical design and the rationale for groupwork in a blended educational landscape. In traditional teaching, the emphasis is given on the dissemination of information, on rich content delivery by a sage on the stage. In the proposed model, the educator acts as a facilitator, as the active guide on the side of the group, delegating au...

  9. Becoming a Specialist Nurse in Psychiatric Mental Health Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Södergren, Ulrika; Benjaminson, Carin; Mattsson, Janet

    2017-01-01

    Background: Specialist nurse students are upon graduation certified to have increased their professional competence to an advanced level. But how do specialist nurse students themselves experience and understand their professional competence and its development upon graduation? This is what this study aims at describing. Method: This study has a…

  10. Doctors applying for Danish postgraduate medical specialist training are getting younger

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjaer, N. K.; Clausen, L. W.; Qvesel, D.

    2012-01-01

    was 58 months. 6% of the recruited doctors had a PhD. 61% of the doctors were graduates from the University of Southern Denmark. 14% graduated from the University of Copenhagen and 12% from Aarhus University. Finally, 13% graduated from a foreign university. CONCLUSION: Applicants accepted for specialist......INTRODUCTION: It was previously shown that applicants for postgraduate medical specialist training in Denmark were old. In order to prevent potential shortage of specialists, the Danish health authorities have passed legislation to speed up the output of new specialists. The aim of this study...... was to highlight the present characteristics of young doctors who entered specialist training. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data include 443 doctors who were enrolled in a formalized postgraduate medical training programme in the Region of Southern Denmark from 2009 to 2011. RESULTS: 41% of the recruited young doctors...

  11. The changing role of the subject specialist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Cotta-Schønberg

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available As we all know, libraries are these years rapidly undergoing change on unparalleled scale. Evidently, this applies to librarians, too, and not the least to that important category of library staff, the subject specialist. As recruiting and education of library workers differ from country to country it is difficult to give a detailed, generally valid description of the subject librarian in libraries, but I believe that you can describe an ideal model of subject librarianship as follows: Within each of the major subject disciplines covered by the library, the library should have a subject specialist preferably with a master degree or at least a bachelor degree in the particular subject discipline. The role of the subject specialist is to perform four basic functions where extensive subject knowledge is considered to be necessary: selecting and classifying books, assisting users with advanced subject inquiries, giving subject-specific courses in information retrieval, and maintaining liaison with relevant academic departments and centres. Personally, I know this system very well since I got employment in the Royal Library in Copenhagen as a subject specialist in psychology in the very month I finished my degree in psychology from the University of Copenhagen, back in 1973. The subject librarian system at the Royal Library in Copenhagen was patterned on the ideal model, as I just described it, and it was closely paralleled in the other academic libraries in Denmark, also the new university libraries which were founded in the seventies.

  12. Polish Code of Ethics of a Medical Laboratory Specialist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elżbieta, Puacz; Waldemar, Glusiec; Barbara, Madej-Czerwonka

    2014-09-01

    Along with the development of medicine, increasingly significant role has been played by the laboratory diagnostics. For over ten years the profession of the medical laboratory specialist has been regarded in Poland as the autonomous medical profession and has enjoyed a status of one of public trust. The process of education of medical laboratory specialists consists of a five-year degree in laboratory medicine, offered at Medical Universities, and of a five-year Vocational Specialization in one of the fields of laboratory medicine such as clinical biochemistry, medical microbiology, medical laboratory toxicology, medical laboratory cytomorphology and medical laboratory transfusiology. An important component of medical laboratory specialists' identity is awareness of inherited ethos obtained from bygone generations of workers in this particular profession and the need to continue its further development. An expression of this awareness is among others Polish Code of Ethics of a Medical Laboratory Specialist (CEMLS) containing a set of values and a moral standpoint characteristic of this type of professional environment. Presenting the ethos of the medical laboratory specialist is a purpose of this article. Authors focus on the role CEMLS plays in areas of professional ethics and law. Next, they reconstruct the Polish model of ethos of medical diagnostic laboratory personnel. An overall picture consists of a presentation of the general moral principles concerning execution of this profession and rules of conduct in relations with the patient, own professional environment and the rest of the society. Polish model of ethical conduct, which is rooted in Hippocratic medical tradition, harmonizes with the ethos of medical laboratory specialists of other European countries and the world.

  13. Certification of the instructional competence of nuclear training specialists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wollert, T.N.

    1990-01-01

    This study was designed to identify the qualification requirements and the means to assess the unique knowledge and skills necessary to perform the instructional activities needed by nuclear training specialist at Fort Saint Vrain Nuclear Generating Station. A survey questionnaire with 233 task statements categorized into eleven duty areas was distributed to twenty-three nuclear training specialists at Fort Saint Vrain Nuclear Generating Station. On the basis of the data accumulated for this study, the researcher identified the following findings. A list of 158 task statements were identified as being relevant; this list was considered a core knowledge, skills, and abilities needed as a nuclear training specialist. The list consisted of ten duty areas which were relevant to the effective performance of a nuclear training specialist. Thirty-three task statements were identified as being relevant for the duty area Conductive Training. These were considered the core of knowledge, skills, and abilities needed in the development of the initial test instrument and the instructor classroom skills observation checklist. The significant correlation between the results of these two instruments, using a rank-order correlation coefficient, was interpreted by the researcher as indicating that the initial test instrument possessed concurrent validity. The researcher interpreted the reliability value as a positive indicator that the initial test instrument demonstrated internal consistency. It was concluded that it could be determined whether personnel possessed the level of competence needed to perform the instructional duties of a nuclear training specialist by using a written test. Data from this research supported the use of the initial test developed for this study as a valid means to certify nuclear training specialists for the duty area Conducting Training

  14. Aplikasi Citizen Journalism di Era Konvergensi Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rahmat Edi Irawan

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Citizen journalism has now become one of the most developed television program concepts. If the concept was initially more widely used in radio and online media, this time with easier and cheaper technology coverage and delivery of images, it is a concept that provides a place for people to become amateur journalist that can also be easily applied in the medium of television. Research raised the issue on how the concept and implementation of citizen journalism on television in the era of media convergence. The purpose of this study is to explain concepts and demonstrate the implementation of citizen journalism on television in the era of media convergence. Research used qualitative method in which data were obtained using literature study. Results of the study showed that the implementation of citizen journalism on television is also increasingly facilitated by the entry of the television in the era of media convergence, or different media mingle, such as television with printed, radio, and Internet media. The era of media convergence makes the concept of citizen journalism can be more developed, because the platform or media distribution is also increasingly varied for amateur journalist. However, the system equipment that must be provided, human resources that must be owned, as well as huge capital to be owned make a few television stations open a lot of platforms to provide space for amateur journalist in citizen journalism. 

  15. CAMPAIGN JOURNALISM ON ROMANIAN TELEVISIONS: TOWARDS A NORMATIVE VIEW OF ADVOCACY IN THE MEDIA

    OpenAIRE

    IRINA DIANA MĂDROANE

    2016-01-01

    Advocacy media campaigns, staged by Romanian television channels and focused on changing social policies, have gained increasing visibility in the Romanian public sphere. The article examines models of journalism and normative theories about the role of the press in a democracy in order to carve out a normative position from which this emerging media format can be analysed. It situates media advocacy within the frame of interpretive journalism, aimed both at facilitating democratic debate ...

  16. An analysis of specialist and non-specialist user requirements for geographic climate change information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maguire, Martin C

    2013-11-01

    The EU EuroClim project developed a system to monitor and record climate change indicator data based on satellite observations of snow cover, sea ice and glaciers in Northern Europe and the Arctic. It also contained projection data for temperature, rainfall and average wind speed for Europe. These were all stored as data sets in a GIS database for users to download. The process of gathering requirements for a user population including scientists, researchers, policy makers, educationalists and the general public is described. Using an iterative design methodology, a user survey was administered to obtain initial feedback on the system concept followed by panel sessions where users were presented with the system concept and a demonstrator to interact with it. The requirements of both specialist and non-specialist users is summarised together with strategies for the effective communication of geographic climate change information. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  17. Nurse specialists in adult congenital heart disease: The current status in Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Moons, P.; Scholte op Reimer, W.; De Geest, S.; Fridlund, B.; Heikkila, J.; Jaarsma, Trijntje (Tiny); Martensson, J.; Smith, K; Stewart, S.; Stromberg, A; Thompson, D.R.

    2006-01-01

    Aim: Recommendations for the management of adults with congenital heart disease indicate that specialist referral centres should employ nurse specialists who are trained and educated in the care for these patients. We surveyed the involvement, education and activities of nurse specialists in the

  18. PENGEMBANGAN MEDIA PAPAN PERMAINAN PANJAT PINANG

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Desty Triastuti

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Media is a very important component in the learning process. Media can be used as a toll for learning, that can be easy for the teachers to learn of the material, and at the same time can be facilitate the students to accepting and understanding of the material.  The purpose of this study is to produce the product that are specialized media to help the process of thematic learning. This media serves as a tool for stimulate memory recall and reinforce the material in students of fifth grade in elementary school. The media called board games panjat pinang has been validated on the the content and design, next then tried out on one to one evaluation, 6 students on small group evaluation and 23 students on field trial. The results of the tryouts indicating the level of feasibility of teaching materials is very high. The average validity is 90,025, attractiveness 91,80, effectiveness of 92,75, and practicality 92,18, so that media announced eligible and effective for use in thematic learning especially for matter circulatory systems human and animal. Media memiliki peranan yang sangat penting dalam proses pembelajaran. Media dapat dijadikan sebagai alat bantu belajar yang dapat memudahkan guru dalam penyampain materi sekaligus memudahkan siswa dalam menerima dan memahami materi.  Tujuan penelitian ini adalah menghasilkan produk media papan permainan panjat pinang untuk pembelajaran tematik. Media ini berfungsi sebagai alat bantu menstimulasi daya ingat dan penguatan materi bagi siswa kelas V SD. Media divalidasi pada aspek isi dan desain, diujicobakan kepada satu orang siswa pada uji coba perorangan, enam siswa pada uji coba kelompok kecil dan 23 siswa pada uji coba lapangan. Hasil uji coba menunjukkan tingkat kevalidan sangat tinggi. Rata-rata kevalidan 87,7, kepraktisan 90,55, kemenarikan 92,22, dan keefektifan 91,0. Berdasarkan skor perolehan tersebur, media dinyatakan layak dan efektif untuk digunakan di dalam pembelajaran tematik,

  19. Media literacy and remote community development in Eastern Indonesia Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aras, M.

    2018-03-01

    This study focused on media literacy phenomenon and educational development of remote communities in the eastern Indonesia region. Therefore, this study used the qualitative approach. The research was done by using direct observation and depth-interview. The research results showed that (1) the media literacy phenomenon of remote community in eastern Indonesia region was apprehensive. This was due to lack of access to information or media exposure through print media, electronic media, and social media. Therefore, the implication was the education awareness of the local community. The media literacy community has a strong relation with public awareness in improving education, and (2) the role of media in the development as facilitators or means of socialization to convey messages related to sustainable development programs in Indonesia. The current media phenomenon had become a necessity, without the exception of the remote communities. The development of an area was also characterized by the increasing education of its citizen and media became one of supporting factors that can motivate the citizen in gaining knowledge. It meant that media literacy community has strong relationships with people awareness in increasing their education. The more media literate, the more people have an awareness of self-development and their region development. Therefore, in the future, there will be no more remote areas because the media network has reached all areas.

  20. New Media : Challenging the Establishment

    OpenAIRE

    Sigal, Ivan

    2011-01-01

    Individual citizens can effect social change through mediated action. There has been a paradigmatic shift in how social networks coalesce online for collective action. The Internet, and especially the creation of open and accessible social media networks, has facilitated and significantly accelerated the generation and mass awareness of social categories, such as people with grievances about government corruption. It has also provided the means to create and share an abundance of content—imag...

  1. Investigating Instructional Strategies for Using Social Media in Formal and Informal Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baiyun Chen

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Despite the high popularity of personal use of online social media, a low percentage of students and instructors use them for educational purposes. This qualitative study explores the use of social media among faculty in the discipline of public administration in the United States. Eight instructors participated in telephone interviews about their experiences and perceptions of using social media for teaching and learning. Instructors perceive that informal learning using social media could be facilitated by instructors and integrated into formal learning environments for enriched discussions, increased engagement, and broad connections. This study provides qualitative empirical support for social learning theories while offering strategies for and examples of how social media can be used to connect formal and informal learning.

  2. The Disposable Blog: Using the Weblog to Facilitate Classroom Learning and Communications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pimpare, Stephen; Fast, Jonathan

    2008-01-01

    This article describes two case studies: one is from a graduate course in social work practice evaluation taught by the second author; the other is from an undergraduate political science course in media and politics taught by the first author. These cases describe the way blogs, created by students and the professors, facilitate communications…

  3. Payload specialist Reinhard Furrer show evidence of previous blood sampling

    Science.gov (United States)

    1985-01-01

    Payload specialist Reinhard Furrer shows evidence of previous blood sampling while Wubbo J. Ockels, Dutch payload specialist (only partially visible), extends his right arm after a sample has been taken. Both men show bruises on their arms.

  4. The Role of Social Media User Experience as a Mediator for Understanding Social Media User Behavior in Indonesia’s Museum Industry: Literature Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundjaja, A. M.; LumanGaol, F.; Budiarti, T.; Abbas, B. S.; Abdinagoro, S. B.; Ongowarsito, H.

    2017-01-01

    Social media has changed the interaction between the customer and the business, social media has proven to provide new opportunities in facilitating access to information, efficiency and ease of interaction between customers and businesses that are distributed geographically dispersed. Ease of interaction to improve access to information about products, services, and prices have proven to have a positive impact for consumers. The purpose of this article is to develop a conceptual model to test the effect of user motivation, user expectations, and online community involvement to the intention of behavior that is mediated by the use of social media museum experience. This article is a literature study on exploration of social media user experiences museum in Indonesia. Authors searched and examined 85 articles from google scholar with the following keywords: motivation, expectations, online communities, user experience, social media, Technology Acceptance Model, Experiential Marketing, Uses and Gratification Theory. Proposed data collection techniques are literature study, survey and observation. The sample used in this research is 400 respondents of social media users that follow the social media managed by Indonesia’s museum. The sampling technique are systematic sampling. We use Structural Equation Model with AMOS for analyze the data.

  5. SLJ's Book Buying Survey: When It Comes to Purchasing Supplemental Books, Librarians' Clout Extends Far beyond the Media Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whelan, Debra Lau

    2004-01-01

    Media specialists and teachers spend an estimated $1.4 billion annually on nonfiction titles. And even though most librarians, like Shirley Morand of New Richmond High School in Ohio, expect budget cuts this academic year, they still plan to dish out a sizable chunk of money on books that support students' textbooks, according to School Library…

  6. Islamic Education: A Principle to Develop Religious Society to Anticipate Negative Impact of Social Media

    OpenAIRE

    Solihin Nasrudin

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to analyze how the Islamic education is able to be the principle of inter-religious harmony to  anticipate  negative impact of social media use. Islam as a universal religion has proven its ability  to encourage the development of science and technology. Social media has emerged along with the development of information technology. The social media is able to facilitate  community to communicate and  to exchange information, but at the same time social media may also threat th...

  7. Motivational Profiles and Motivation for Lifelong Learning of Medical Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Burgt, Stéphanie M E; Kusurkar, Rashmi A; Wilschut, Janneke A; Tjin A Tsoi, Sharon L N M; Croiset, Gerda; Peerdeman, Saskia M

    2018-05-22

    Medical specialists face the challenge of maintaining their knowledge and skills and continuing professional development, that is, lifelong learning. Motivation may play an integral role in many of the challenges facing the physician workforce today including maintenance of a high performance. The aim of this study was to determine whether medical specialists show different motivational profiles and if these profiles predict differences in motivation for lifelong learning. An online questionnaire was sent to every medical specialist working in five hospitals in the Netherlands. The questionnaire included the validated Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale and the Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning together with background questions like age, gender, and type of hospital. Respondents were grouped into different motivational profiles by using a two-step clustering approach. Four motivational profiles were identified: (1) HAMC profile (for High Autonomous and Moderate Controlled motivation), (2) MAMC profile (for Moderate Autonomous and Moderate Controlled motivation), (3) MALC profile (for Moderate Autonomous and Low Controlled motivation), and (4) HALC profile (for High Autonomous and Low Controlled motivation). Most of the female specialists that work in an academic hospital and specialists with a surgical specialty were represented in the HALC profile. Four motivational profiles were found among medical specialists, differing in gender, experience and type of specialization. The profiles are based on the combination of autonomous motivation (AM) and controlled motivation (CM) in the specialists. The profiles that have a high score on autonomous motivation have a positive association with lifelong learning.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work

  8. Evaporation Limited Radial Capillary Penetration in Porous Media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Mingchao; Wu, Jian; Gan, Yixiang; Hanaor, Dorian A H; Chen, C Q

    2016-09-27

    The capillary penetration of fluids in thin porous layers is of fundamental interest in nature and various industrial applications. When capillary flows occur in porous media, the extent of penetration is known to increase with the square root of time following the Lucas-Washburn law. In practice, volatile liquid evaporates at the surface of porous media, which restricts penetration to a limited region. In this work, on the basis of Darcy's law and mass conservation, a general theoretical model is developed for the evaporation-limited radial capillary penetration in porous media. The presented model predicts that evaporation decreases the rate of fluid penetration and limits it to a critical radius. Furthermore, we construct a unified phase diagram that describes the limited penetration in an annular porous medium, in which the boundaries of outward and inward liquid are predicted quantitatively. It is expected that the proposed theoretical model will advance the understanding of penetration dynamics in porous media and facilitate the design of engineered porous architectures.

  9. Addressing cultural diversity: the hepatitis B clinical specialist perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, Jack; Smith, Elizabeth; Hajarizadeh, Behzad; Richmond, Jacqueline; Lucke, Jayne

    2017-08-31

    Hepatitis B is a viral infection primarily affecting people from culturally diverse communities in Australia. While vaccination prevents infection, there is increasing mortality resulting from liver damage associated with chronic infection. Deficits in the national policy and clinical response to hepatitis B result in a low diagnosis rate, inadequate testing and diagnosis processes, and poor access to hepatitis B treatment services. While research identifies inadequate hepatitis B knowledge among people with the virus and primary health care workers, this project sought to identify how specialist clinicians in Australia negotiate cultural diversity, and provide often complex clinical information to people with hepatitis B. A vignette was developed and presented to thirteen viral hepatitis specialist clinicians prior to an electronically recorded interview. Recruitment continued until saturation of themes was reached. Data were thematically coded into themes outlined in the interview schedule. Ethical approval for the research was provided by the La Trobe University Human Research Ethics Committee. Key messages provided to patients with hepatitis B by clinical specialists were identified. These messages were not consistently provided to all patients with hepatitis B, but were determined on perceptions of patient knowledge, age and highest educational level. While the vignette stated that English was not an issue for the patient, most specialists identified the need for an interpreter. Combating stigma related to hepatitis B was seen as important by the specialists and this was done through normalising the virus. Having an awareness of different cultural understandings about hepatitis B specifically, and health and well-being generally, was noted as a communication strategy. Key core competencies need to be developed to deliver educational messages to people with hepatitis B within clinical encounters. The provision of adequate resources to specialist clinics will

  10. Increasing Social Media Engagement through a Digital Marketing Plan. Case: Plootu

    OpenAIRE

    Koskinen, Saku

    2016-01-01

    The importance of mastering digital marketing in companies’ marketing mix is increasing and expertise in the field is still developing. Digital marketing provides tools to facilitate more targeted and cost-efficient marketing. Not only can marketing teams reach customers all over the world but they can also communicate, interact and engage with them. The objective of this project-based thesis was to increase social media engagement, brand awareness and reach new audiences in social media ...

  11. Wildlife Private Lands Specialist Support Areas

    Data.gov (United States)

    Minnesota Department of Natural Resources — This layer represents the areas of Minnesota that MNDNR Wildlife Private Lands Specialists cover. These boundaries are provided for support mapping and to show...

  12. Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines and Otitis Media: An Appraisal of the Clinical Trials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fletcher, Mark A.; Fritzell, Bernard

    2012-01-01

    Streptococcus pneumoniae is the predominant otitis media pathogen and its prevention through effective vaccination could diminish childhood illness and antibiotic use. This paper reviews 5 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) trials that used otitis media as an endpoint: Northern California Kaiser Permanente (NCKP; vaccine, 7-valent PCV [PCV7]-CRM); Finnish Otitis Media (FinOM; vaccines, PCV7-CRM or PCV7-OMPC); Native American Trial (vaccine, PCV7-CRM); Pneumococcal Otitis Efficacy Trial (POET; vaccine, 11-valent PCV [PCV11]-PD). For the microbiological endpoint, vaccine efficacy against vaccine-serotype pneumococcal otitis media was about 60% across trials. Against the clinical endpoint of all episodes, vaccine efficacy was 7% (PCV7-CRM/NCKP), 6% (PCV7-CRM/FinOM), −1% (PCV7-OMPC/FinOM), and −0.4% (PCV7-CRM/Native American Trial); 34% against first episodes of ear, nose, and throat specialist-referral cases (PCV11-PD/POET). Both follow-up through 2 years of age, for the 5 trials, and long-term follow-up, for PCV7-CRM/NCKP and PCV7-CRM/FinOM, demonstrated greater vaccine efficacy against recurrent AOM and tympanostomy-tube placement, suggesting that vaccination against early episodes of AOM may prevent subsequent episodes of complicated otitis media. Although study designs varied by primary endpoint measured, age at follow-up, source of middle-ear fluid for culture, case ascertainment, and type of randomization, each clinical trial demonstrated vaccine efficacy against microbiological and/or clinical otitis media. PMID:22701486

  13. A Comparative Study of Children's Concentration Performance on Picture Books: Age, Gender, and Media Forms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Min-Yuan; Wei, Chun-Chun

    2016-01-01

    The reading development of children depends on various sensory stimuli, which help them construct reading contexts and facilitate active learning and exploration. This study uses sensory stimuli provided by picture books using various forms of media to improve children's concentration performance. We employ picture books using four forms of media:…

  14. Reasons why specialist doctors undertake rural outreach services: an Australian cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Sullivan, Belinda G; McGrail, Matthew R; Stoelwinder, Johannes U

    2017-01-07

    The purpose of the study is to explore the reasons why specialist doctors travel to provide regular rural outreach services, and whether reasons relate to (1) salaried or private fee-for-service practice and (2) providing rural outreach services in more remote locations. A national cross-sectional study of specialist doctors from the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey in 2014 was implemented. Specialists providing rural outreach services self-reported on a 5-point scale their level of agreement with five reasons for participating. Chi-squared analysis tested association between agreement and variables of interest. Of 567 specialists undertaking rural outreach services, reasons for participating include to grow the practice (54%), maintain a regional connection (26%), provide complex healthcare (18%), healthcare for disadvantaged people (12%) and support rural staff (6%). Salaried specialists more commonly participated to grow the practice compared with specialists in fee-for-service practice (68 vs 49%). This reason was also related to travelling further and providing outreach services in outer regional/remote locations. Private fee-for-service specialists more commonly undertook outreach services to provide complex healthcare (22 vs 14%). Specialist doctors undertake rural outreach services for a range of reasons, mainly to complement the growth and diversity of their main practice or maintain a regional connection. Structuring rural outreach around the specialist's main practice is likely to support participation and improve service distribution.

  15. Subject Specialist Mentors in the Lifelong Learning Sector: The Subject Specialist Mentor Model; is it working? A case study approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bailey, Wayne

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This short article explores whether using a mentoring model supports our Subject Specialist Mentors (SSMs with their role of mentoring trainees on Initial Teacher Training (ITT courses. Although there are many mentoring models to choose from, our model is based around mentoring within the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS where trainees need support for their subject specialism as well as their generic teaching skills. The main focus is the use of coaching and mentoring skills taking into consideration guiding, supporting and challenging the trainee during the lifetime of the mentor/trainee relationship. The SSMs found that using our model as a tool helped to structure meetings and to ensure that the trainee had the necessary support to enable them to become proficient, competent subject specialist teachers. In conclusion, it was found that there is a need for the use of a model or a framework to help the Subject Specialist Mentor (SSM with such an important role.

  16. STS-9 payload specialists and backup in training session

    Science.gov (United States)

    1983-01-01

    Two Spacelab 1 payload specialists and a backup for that flight prepare for a training session in the JSC mockup and integration laboratory. Fully decked out in the Shuttle constant wear garments (foreground) are Ulf Merbold, left, and Byron K. Licktenberg, prime crewmembers on the STS-9 team. In civilian clothes is payload specialist backup Michael L. Lampton.

  17. Social Media Used by Government Institutions in Iceland: Application, Role and Aims

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Már Einarsson

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research was to study the use and role of social media hosted by government institutions in Iceland. The research was conducted using quantitative and qualitative research methods. A survey was sent electronically to all government institutions in Iceland and semi-structured interviews were conducted with specialists working for institutions. No research has been conducted on this subject in Iceland before. It was therefore considered timely that a research was conducted on the use of social media in public institutions, with the intention of adding new knowledge to the field. No similar research from outside of Iceland was found, but this research was based on related studies and sources from abroad. A little less than half of government institutions used social media as part of their activities and Facebook and YouTube were most widely used. Popularity, circulation, usefulness and convenience were the most important factors when choosing social media. The majority of institutions had neither defined social media goals nor the role and responsibility of employees when using social media. The institutions placed strong emphasis on publishing adverts and news items on the institutions’ activities via social media pages and there were a considerable number of references to material on other web pages. Among other things the interviewees said that the purpose of using social media was information dissemination, reception of information, more visibility, the opening of institutions to the public and increased transparency. They talked about the importance of being informal on social media, but they also pointed out that there had been some fear among institutions of using them, in particular fear of employees showing a human side via social media. There was minimal use of original material on institutions’ social media pages, while institutions were quite systematic in posting material from their website through social media

  18. IMPROVEMENT OF INNOVATIVE TRAINING OF ROAD SPECIALISTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. I. Leonovich

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Complicated conditions, under which road enterprises of the Republic are forced to operate, put forward and reveal the necessity to innovative way of development. In order to fulfill this task it is necessary to have specialists who are capable and ready to realize this endeavour. The most acceptable variant is to train specialists who will be able to introduce innovations and who are presently involved in the production process. Such training should be carried out within the framework of post-graduate education. Authors have provide a number of reasons in favour of quick development of such education. 

  19. A Business Case Framework for Planning Clinical Nurse Specialist-Led Interventions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartlett Ellis, Rebecca J; Embree, Jennifer L; Ellis, Kurt G

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe a business case framework that can guide clinical nurse specialists (CNS) in clinical intervention development. Increased emphasis on cost-effective interventions in healthcare requires skills in analyzing the need to make the business case, especially for resource-intensive interventions. This framework assists the CNS to anticipate resource use and then consider if the intervention makes good business sense. We describe a business case framework that can assist the CNS to fully explore the problem and determine if developing an intervention is a good investment. We describe several analyses that facilitate making the business case to include the following: problem identification and alignment with strategic priorities, needs assessment, stakeholder analysis, market analysis, intervention implementation planning, financial analysis, and outcome evaluation. The findings from these analyses can be used to develop a formal proposal to present to hospital leaders in a position to make decisions. By aligning intervention planning with organizational priorities and engaging patients in the process, interventions will be more likely to be implemented in practice and produce robust outcomes. The business case framework can be used to justify to organization decision makers the need to invest resources in new interventions that will make a difference for quality outcomes as well as the financial bottom line. This framework can be used to plan interventions that align with organizational strategic priorities, plan for associated costs and benefits, and outcome evaluation. Clinical nurse specialists are well positioned to lead clinical intervention projects that will improve the quality of patient care and be cost-effective. To do so requires skill development in making the business case.

  20. Origins of media literacy and its theories funded on Len Masterman

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina Tornero

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Media literacy is the subject that teaches critical thinking about media. Despite its importance in a society dominated by television, newspapers and especially the Internet, it is still a big unknown in the educational environment. This article shows its evolution from the concept of Semiotics by Roland Barthes and Umberto Eco to the analysis of visual culture as a way of understanding the search for information and entertainment among young people and adults.  One of the leading experts in media literacy is Len Masterman, whose publications revolutionized the use of media in education not as a tool for learning, but the object to study in a critical way. His educational perspective is focused on making young people participate in the classroom, actively questioning what they see daily in the media environment and facilitating its critical development.

  1. Social Media and Mentoring in Biomedical Research Faculty Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teruya, Stacey Alan; Bazargan-Hejazi, Shahrzad

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To determine how effective and collegial mentoring in biomedical research faculty development may be implemented and facilitated through social media. Method: The authors reviewed the literature for objectives, concerns, and limitations of career development for junior research faculty. They tabularized these as developmental goals, and…

  2. Facilitation of self-transcendence in a breast cancer support group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coward, D D

    1998-01-01

    To examine the feasibility and patterns of effectiveness of a breast cancer support group intervention specifically designed to facilitate self-transcendence views and perspectives that would enhance emotional and physical well-being. Pre-experimental design pilot intervention study with a quantitative approach to data analysis. Survivor-established breast cancer resource center in Austin, TX. Women with recently diagnosed breast cancer (N = 16) participating in 90-minute support group sessions that met weekly for eight weeks. Theory-driven support group intervention facilitated by an oncology clinical nurse specialist, a psychotherapist, and a breast cancer survivor. Activities planned for individual sessions were based on self-transcendence theory, cancer support group literature, and the facilitators' extensive previous support group experience. Self-transcendence, emotional well-being, physical well-being. Good networking, coordination, and follow-up were essential for participant recruitment and retention throughout the intervention period. Although specific theory-driven activities were planned for group sessions, facilitators maintained flexibility in meeting immediate concerns of the participants. Relationships among participants' scores on study variables indicated an association between self-transcendence and emotional well-being. Scores on self-transcendence and well-being variables at the end of the intervention increased from baseline, but only functional performance status, mood state, and satisfaction with life reached statistical significance. The pilot study was invaluable in providing direction for the conduct of future experimental studies. Provides preliminary support for the use of theory-driven activities for promotion of self-transcendence views and behaviors within a cancer support group setting.

  3. Collaboration with general practitioners: preferences of medical specialists – a qualitative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Slaets Joris PJ

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Collaboration between general practitioners (GPs and specialists has been the focus of many collaborative care projects during the past decade. Unfortunately, quite a number of these projects failed. This raises the question of what motivates medical specialists to initiate and continue participating with GPs in new collaborative care models. The following question is addressed in this study: What motivates medical specialists to initiate and sustain new models for collaborating with GPs? Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with eighteen medical specialists in the province of Groningen, in the North of The Netherlands. The sampling criteria were age, gender, type of hospital in which they were practicing, and specialty. The interviews were recorded, fully transcribed, and analysed by three researchers working independently. The resulting motivational factors were grouped into categories. Results 'Teaching GPs' and 'regulating patient flow' (referrals appeared to dominate when the motivational factors were considered. In addition, specialists want to develop relationships with the GPs on a more personal level. Most specialists believe that there is not much they can learn from GPs. 'Lack of time', 'no financial compensation', and 'no support from colleagues' were considered to be the main concerns to establishing collaborative care practices. Additionally, projects were often experienced as too complex and time consuming whereas guidelines were experienced as too restrictive. Conclusion Specialists are particularly interested in collaborating because the GP is the gatekeeper for access to secondary health care resources. Specialists feel that they are able to teach the GPs something, but they do not feel that they have anything to learn from the GPs. With respect to professional expertise, therefore, specialists do not consider GPs as equals. Once personal relationships with the GPs have been established, an

  4. Pharmacovigilance training for specialist oncology nurses-a two way evaluation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schutte, T.; Van Eekeren, R.; Richir, M.; Van Staveren, J.; Van Puijenbroek, E.P.; Tichelaar, J.; Van Agtmael, M.A.

    2017-01-01

    Background: In a new prescribing qualifcation course for specialist oncology nurses, we thought it important to emphasize pharma-covigilance and adverse drug reaction (ADR)-reporting. To this end, our aim was to develop and evaluate an ADR reporting assignment for specialist oncology nurses.

  5. Exploration and guidance in media-rich information spaces : the implementation and realization of guided tours in digital dossiers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Riel, van C.; Wang, Y.; Eliëns, A.; Guerrero-Bote, V.P.

    2006-01-01

    Confronted with media-rich information spaces involves interfaces that are usually designed to facilitate personal exploration to locate information of interest. Navigating such media-rich information spaces, where information structures can be complex, may result in disorientation and demotivation.

  6. Ethical issues when using social media for health outside professional relationships.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeCamp, Matthew

    2015-04-01

    Social media have the potential to revolutionize health and healthcare, but fulfilling this potential requires attention to the ethical issues social media may raise. This article reviews the major ethical issues arising when social media are used for research, public health, mobile health applications, and global health. It focuses on social media use outside fiduciary relationships between healthcare professionals and patients. Emphasis is given to the potential of social media in these contexts, the ethical issues relatively unique to each, and where possible how existing ethical principles and frameworks could help navigate these issues. In some cases social media create the circumstance for particular ethical issues but also facilitate managing them, such as in informed consent for research. In other cases, disagreement exists about whether social media - despite their potential - should be used for certain purposes, such as in public health surveillance (where confidentiality represents a significant ethical concern). In still others, ethical uncertainty exists about how social media will affect ethical issues, such as inequality in global health. As social media technologies continue to develop, identifying and managing the ethical issues they raise will be critical to their success in improving health while preserving fundamental ethical values.

  7. Specialist clinics in remote Australian Aboriginal communities: where rock art meets rocket science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gruen, Russell; Bailie, Ross

    2004-10-01

    People in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory have greater morbidity and mortality than other Australians, but face considerable barriers when accessing hospital-based specialist services. The Specialist Outreach Service, which began in 1997, was a novel policy initiative to improve access by providing a regular multidisciplinary visiting specialist services to remote communities. It led to two interesting juxtapositions: that of 'state of the art' specialist services alongside under-resourced primary care in remote and relatively traditional Aboriginal communities; and that of attempts to develop an evidence base for the effectiveness of outreach, while meeting the short-term evaluative requirements of policy-makers. In this essay, first we describe the development of the service in the Northern Territory and its initial process evaluation. Through a Cochrane systematic review we then summarise the published research on the effectiveness of specialist outreach in improving access to tertiary and hospital-based care. Finally we describe the findings of an observational population-based study of the use of specialist services and the impact of outreach to three remote communities over 11 years. Specialist outreach improves access to specialist care and may lessen the demand for both outpatient and inpatient hospital care. Specialist outreach is, however, dependent on well-functioning primary care. According to the way in which outreach is conducted and the service is organised, it can either support primary care or it can hinder primary care and, as a result, reduce its own effectiveness.

  8. Pest Management Specialist (AFSC 56650).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Air Univ., Gunter AFS, Ala. Extension Course Inst.

    This eight-volume student text is designed for use by Air Force personnel enrolled in a self-study extension course for pest management specialists. Covered in the individual volumes are civil engineering; pest management (entomology, pest management planning and coordination, and safety and protective equipment); pest management chemicals and…

  9. Families' perceptions of the contribution of intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists in Ireland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doody, Owen; Slevin, Eamonn; Taggart, Laurence

    2018-01-01

    To explore families' perceptions of the contribution of clinical nurse specialists in intellectual disability nursing in Ireland. Clinical nurse specialists roles have developed over the years and are seen as complex and multifaceted, causing confusion, frustration and controversy. 2001 saw the formal introduction of clinical nurse specialists roles in Ireland across nursing including intellectual disability. A exploratory qualitative approach using semistructured one-to-one interviews with 10 family members regarding their perceptions of the clinical nurse specialists in intellectual disability. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using Burnard's framework. Ethical approval was gained and access granted by service providers. The study highlights that intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists contribute and support care deliver across a range of areas, including personal caring, supporting and empowering families, liaison, education and leadership. Clinical nurse specialists have an important role and contribution in supporting families and clients, and Ireland is in a unique position to develop knowledge regarding specialist care for people with intellectual disability that can be shared nationally and internationally. Ireland is in a unique position to develop knowledge regarding specialist care for people with intellectual disability that can be shared and adapted by other healthcare professionals in other countries that do not have a specialised intellectual disability nurses. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. 22 CFR 11.20 - Foreign Service specialist career candidate appointments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ..., background investigation, and final review process required of career candidates, but normally they will not... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Foreign Service specialist career candidate... SERVICE OFFICERS § 11.20 Foreign Service specialist career candidate appointments. (a) General...

  11. POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION FUNCTIONING PATTERNS OF TOURISM SPHERE SPECIALISTS IN SWITZERLAND

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Наталія Закордонець

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Functioning patterns of postgraduate education of tourism sphere specialists in Switzerland have been established. The competences of tourism sphere specialist, the formation of which programs of postgraduate education are focused on have been considered. The benefits of educational qualification of Masters in Business Administration with a major specialization in tourism have been outlined. The characteristics of the core curriculum of the Doctor of Management of leading universities in the field of tourism education have been determined. The performance criteria of postgraduate education system functioning of tourism sphere specialists in Switzerland have been revealed.

  12. Culture media profoundly affect Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis growth, adhesion and biofilm development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weerasekera, Manjula M; Wijesinghe, Gayan K; Jayarathna, Thilini A; Gunasekara, Chinthika P; Fernando, Neluka; Kottegoda, Nilwala; Samaranayake, Lakshman P

    2016-11-01

    As there are sparse data on the impact of growth media on the phenomenon of biofilm development for Candida we evaluated the efficacy of three culture media on growth, adhesion and biofilm formation of two pathogenic yeasts, Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. The planktonic phase yeast growth, either as monocultures or mixed cultures, in sabouraud dextrose broth (SDB), yeast nitrogen base (YNB), and RPMI 1640 was compared, and adhesion as well as biofilm formation were monitored using MTT and crystal violet (CV) assays and scanning electron microscopy. Planktonic cells of C. albicans, C. tropicalis and their 1:1 co-culture showed maximal growth in SDB. C. albicans/C. tropicalis adhesion was significantly facilitated in RPMI 1640 although the YNB elicited the maximum growth for C. tropicalis. Similarly, the biofilm growth was uniformly higher for both species in RPMI 1640, and C. tropicalis was the slower biofilm former in all three media. Scanning electron microscopy images tended to confirm the results of MTT and CV assay. Taken together, our data indicate that researchers should pay heed to the choice of laboratory culture media when comparing relative planktonic/biofilm growth of Candida. There is also a need for standardisation of biofilm development media so as to facilitate cross comparisons between laboratories.

  13. Antagonistic pleiotropy and fitness trade-offs reveal specialist and generalist traits in strains of canine distemper virus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veljko M Nikolin

    Full Text Available Theoretically, homogeneous environments favor the evolution of specialists whereas heterogeneous environments favor generalists. Canine distemper is a multi-host carnivore disease caused by canine distemper virus (CDV. The described cell receptor of CDV is SLAM (CD150. Attachment of CDV hemagglutinin protein (CDV-H to this receptor facilitates fusion and virus entry in cooperation with the fusion protein (CDV-F. We investigated whether CDV strains co-evolved in the large, homogeneous domestic dog population exhibited specialist traits, and strains adapted to the heterogeneous environment of smaller populations of different carnivores exhibited generalist traits. Comparison of amino acid sequences of the SLAM binding region revealed higher similarity between sequences from Canidae species than to sequences from other carnivore families. Using an in vitro assay, we quantified syncytia formation mediated by CDV-H proteins from dog and non-dog CDV strains in cells expressing dog, lion or cat SLAM. CDV-H proteins from dog strains produced significantly higher values with cells expressing dog SLAM than with cells expressing lion or cat SLAM. CDV-H proteins from strains of non-dog species produced similar values in all three cell types, but lower values in cells expressing dog SLAM than the values obtained for CDV-H proteins from dog strains. By experimentally changing one amino acid (Y549H in the CDV-H protein of one dog strain we decreased expression of specialist traits and increased expression of generalist traits, thereby confirming its functional importance. A virus titer assay demonstrated that dog strains produced higher titers in cells expressing dog SLAM than cells expressing SLAM of non-dog hosts, which suggested possible fitness benefits of specialization post-cell entry. We provide in vitro evidence for the expression of specialist and generalist traits by CDV strains, and fitness trade-offs across carnivore host environments caused by

  14. Antagonistic Pleiotropy and Fitness Trade-Offs Reveal Specialist and Generalist Traits in Strains of Canine Distemper Virus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikolin, Veljko M.; Osterrieder, Klaus; von Messling, Veronika; Hofer, Heribert; Anderson, Danielle; Dubovi, Edward; Brunner, Edgar; East, Marion L.

    2012-01-01

    Theoretically, homogeneous environments favor the evolution of specialists whereas heterogeneous environments favor generalists. Canine distemper is a multi-host carnivore disease caused by canine distemper virus (CDV). The described cell receptor of CDV is SLAM (CD150). Attachment of CDV hemagglutinin protein (CDV-H) to this receptor facilitates fusion and virus entry in cooperation with the fusion protein (CDV-F). We investigated whether CDV strains co-evolved in the large, homogeneous domestic dog population exhibited specialist traits, and strains adapted to the heterogeneous environment of smaller populations of different carnivores exhibited generalist traits. Comparison of amino acid sequences of the SLAM binding region revealed higher similarity between sequences from Canidae species than to sequences from other carnivore families. Using an in vitro assay, we quantified syncytia formation mediated by CDV-H proteins from dog and non-dog CDV strains in cells expressing dog, lion or cat SLAM. CDV-H proteins from dog strains produced significantly higher values with cells expressing dog SLAM than with cells expressing lion or cat SLAM. CDV-H proteins from strains of non-dog species produced similar values in all three cell types, but lower values in cells expressing dog SLAM than the values obtained for CDV-H proteins from dog strains. By experimentally changing one amino acid (Y549H) in the CDV-H protein of one dog strain we decreased expression of specialist traits and increased expression of generalist traits, thereby confirming its functional importance. A virus titer assay demonstrated that dog strains produced higher titers in cells expressing dog SLAM than cells expressing SLAM of non-dog hosts, which suggested possible fitness benefits of specialization post-cell entry. We provide in vitro evidence for the expression of specialist and generalist traits by CDV strains, and fitness trade-offs across carnivore host environments caused by antagonistic

  15. Framing the Refugee Crisis in Online Media: A Romanian Perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Nicoleta Corbu; Raluca Buturoiu; Flavia Durach

    2017-01-01

    The European Union (EU) is under severe pressure, due to the multiple crises it has to manage. Among them, the refugee crisis is remarkable, since it is shaking both the individual member states and the EU as a whole. The media coverage of the refugee crisis is important because the media still are the main source of information concerning distant issues (the refugee crisis included), and as such it facilitates people’s access to social reality. Using the perspective of agenda-setting and the...

  16. Professional Learning in Unlikely Spaces: Social Media and Virtual Communities as Professional Development

    OpenAIRE

    Kathleen P. King

    2011-01-01

    In this case study, results demonstrate that an individual’s use of social media as professional learning spans understanding, networking, professional identity development, and transformative learning. Specifically, virtual online communities facilitated through social media provide professional networks, social relationships and learning beyond the scope of the individual’s usual experience. Case study method reveals strategies, extent, and impact of learning providing insight into this phe...

  17. Aplikasi Virtual Reality Media Pembelajaran Sistem Tata Surya

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Putu Astya Prayudha

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Learning of the solar system is taught since primary school. The learning materials of the solar system are generally explained through blackboards and using books, causing a less of visualization of the solar system that becomes an obstacle in the learning process of the solar system. Develop Virtual Reality Application Learning Media of Solar System in this study aims to facilitate learning with the addition of visualization of the delivery of materials related to the solar system. The application is designed to combine entertainment and knowledge where users interact with virtual environments and see the existence of planets and planets information in the solar system with virtually mode. Application are developed with the delivery of text and voice learning to provide knowledge to users such as the distance the planet to the Sun, diameter, layers, and the constituents of the planet. Users agree Virtual Reality Application Learning Media of Solar System effectively facilitate learning related to the solar system system as evidenced by the questionnaire of 60% for agree value on the content aspect.

  18. Establishing a Research Agenda for Understanding the Role and Impact of Mental Health Peer Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chinman, Matthew; McInnes, D Keith; Eisen, Susan; Ellison, Marsha; Farkas, Marianne; Armstrong, Moe; Resnick, Sandra G

    2017-09-01

    Mental health peer specialists are individuals with serious mental illnesses who receive training to use their lived experiences to help others with serious mental illnesses in clinical settings. This Open Forum discusses the state of the research for mental health peer specialists and suggests a research agenda to advance the field. Studies have suggested that peer specialists vary widely in their roles, settings, and theoretical orientations. Theories of action have been proposed, but none have been tested. Outcome studies have shown benefits of peer specialists; however, many studies have methodological shortcomings. Qualitative descriptions of peer specialists are plentiful but lack grounding in implementation science frameworks. A research agenda advancing the field could include empirically testing theoretical mechanisms of peer specialists, developing a measure of peer specialist fidelity, conducting more rigorous outcomes studies, involving peer specialists in executing the research, and assessing various factors that influence implementing peer specialist services and testing strategies that could address those factors.

  19. The Role of the Technical Specialist in Disaster Response and Recovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curtis, J. C.

    2017-12-01

    Technical Specialists provide scientific expertise for making operational decisions during natural hazards emergencies. Technical Specialists are important members of any Incident Management Team (IMT) as is described in in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) that has been designed to respond to emergencies. Safety for the responders and the threatened population is the foremost consideration in command decisions and objectives, and the Technical Specialist is on scene and in the command post to support and promote safety while aiding decisions for incident objectives. The Technical Specialist's expertise can also support plans, logistics, and even finance as well as operations. This presentation will provide actual examples of the value of on-scene Technical Specialists, using National Weather Service "Decision Support Meteorologists" and "Incident Meteorologists". These examples will demonstrate the critical role of scientists that are trained in advising and presenting life-critical analysis and forecasts during emergencies. A case will be made for local, state, and/or a national registry of trained and deployment-ready scientists that can support emergency response.

  20. Neurofibromatosis and the role of the specialist adviser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Redman, Carolyn

    2017-09-11

    Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetic condition that mainly involves the nervous system. There are two types: NF1 affects about one in 2,500 of the population worldwide and NF2 affects one in 35,000. Both types result in complex health problems for patients and can pose significant challenges for all those involved in their management. Established in 1981, The Neuro Foundation is a patient-focused charity that funds a network of specialist advisers who work in partnership with the NHS to offer support and advice for families affected by NF and the professionals who care for them. With a significant level of autonomy, the specialist adviser role is flexible in matching the needs of those affected while working cooperatively alongside the national specialist services for NF1 and NF2. ©2012 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.

  1. One Point of View: Elementary School Mathematics Specialists: Where Are They?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dossey, John A.

    1984-01-01

    A plea is made for the mathematics education community to support the need for elementary school mathematics specialists. Roles of such specialists in primary as well as intermediate grades are listed. (MNS)

  2. Individual prey choices of octopuses: Are they generalist or specialist?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer A. MATHER, Tatiana S. LEITE, Allan T. BATISTA

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Prey choice is often evaluated at the species or population level. Here, we analyzed the diet of octopuses of different populations with the aim to assess the importance of individual feeding habits as a factor affecting prey choice. Two methods were used, an assessment of the extent to which an individual octopus made choices of species representative of those population (PSi and IS and 25% cutoff values for number of choices and percentage intake of individual on their prey. In one population of Octopus cf vulgaris in Bermuda individuals were generalist by IS=0.77, but most chose many prey of the same species, and were specialists on it by >75% intake. Another population had a wider prey selection, still generalist with PSi=0.66, but two individuals specialized by choices. In Bonaire, there was a wide range of prey species chosen, and the population was specialists by IS= 0.42. Individual choices revealed seven specialists and four generalists. A population of Octopus cyanea in Hawaii all had similar choices of crustaceans, so the population was generalist by IS with 0.74. But by individual choices, three were considered a specialist. A population of Enteroctopus dofleini from Puget Sound had a wide range of preferences, in which seven were also specialists, IS=0.53. By individual choices, thirteen were also specialists. Given the octopus specialty of learning during foraging, we hypothesize that both localized prey availability and individual personality differences could influence the exploration for prey and this translates into different prey choices across individuals and populations showed in this study [Current Zoology 58 (4: 597-603, 2012].

  3. Use of Social Media Among Individuals Who Suffer From Post-Traumatic Stress: A Qualitative Analysis of Narratives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salzmann-Erikson, Martin; Hiçdurmaz, Duygu

    2017-01-01

    Suffering from post-traumatic stress impacts and restricts the life situation of the individual on several levels, not least regarding social difficulties. Social media on the Internet facilitate new possibilities for interaction and communication. Earlier research has demonstrated that people use social media to seek support and to discuss health-related issues. The current study aimed to describe how individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress use social media to convey authentic narratives of their daily lives, including illness, and further, to analyze the content of this media use. The data comprised YouTube videos, blogs, and forum discussions. Five categories cover the findings: (a) structure of the narrative, (b) narrating the trauma, (c) restrictions in life, (d) strategies in everyday living, and (e) online interaction. We stress that sharing narratives online facilitates a "verbalizing" of the life conditions of the sufferers and can be used as a self-care activity. © The Author(s) 2016.

  4. "Typing Back": Social Media as Space for Critical Discourse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Careless, Erin Jennifer

    2015-01-01

    Social media applications such as Facebook and Twitter have become integrated into sociocultural practices for millions of people around the world, and are having an enduring impact on the field of adult education. As essentially free, virtually non-hierarchical tools that facilitate user-generated knowledge, these online spaces may be powerful…

  5. The Influence of the Mass Media on Young People as a Problem of Russian Pedagogy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zapesotskii, A. S.

    2011-01-01

    An analysis of the influence of the mass media on the moral state of Russian society discerns negative consequences of that influence, and sees the mass media (particularly television) as involved in the cultural degradation of the population. It argues in favor of state, social, and pedagogical controls to facilitate a more positive role of the…

  6. Sensitivity analyses of a colloid-facilitated contaminant transport model for unsaturated heterogeneous soil conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Périard, Yann; José Gumiere, Silvio; Rousseau, Alain N.; Caron, Jean

    2013-04-01

    Certain contaminants may travel faster through soils when they are sorbed to subsurface colloidal particles. Indeed, subsurface colloids may act as carriers of some contaminants accelerating their translocation through the soil into the water table. This phenomenon is known as colloid-facilitated contaminant transport. It plays a significant role in contaminant transport in soils and has been recognized as a source of groundwater contamination. From a mechanistic point of view, the attachment/detachment of the colloidal particles from the soil matrix or from the air-water interface and the straining process may modify the hydraulic properties of the porous media. Šimůnek et al. (2006) developed a model that can simulate the colloid-facilitated contaminant transport in variably saturated porous media. The model is based on the solution of a modified advection-dispersion equation that accounts for several processes, namely: straining, exclusion and attachement/detachement kinetics of colloids through the soil matrix. The solutions of these governing, partial differential equations are obtained using a standard Galerkin-type, linear finite element scheme, implemented in the HYDRUS-2D/3D software (Šimůnek et al., 2012). Modeling colloid transport through the soil and the interaction of colloids with the soil matrix and other contaminants is complex and requires the characterization of many model parameters. In practice, it is very difficult to assess actual transport parameter values, so they are often calibrated. However, before calibration, one needs to know which parameters have the greatest impact on output variables. This kind of information can be obtained through a sensitivity analysis of the model. The main objective of this work is to perform local and global sensitivity analyses of the colloid-facilitated contaminant transport module of HYDRUS. Sensitivity analysis was performed in two steps: (i) we applied a screening method based on Morris' elementary

  7. The Changing Role of the Reading Specialist: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ginsburg, Victoria Elaine

    2012-01-01

    This descriptive qualitative case study explored the changing role of the reading specialist through various perceptions of professionals in the Neon Shadow School District. The purpose of the study was to explore what, how, and why the duties and responsibilities of the reading specialist have changed since first employed as an…

  8. Architecture of portable electronic medical records system integrated with streaming media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Wei; Shih, Chien-Chou

    2012-02-01

    Due to increasing occurrence of accidents and illness during business trips, travel, or overseas studies, the requirement for portable EMR (Electronic Medical Records) has increased. This study proposes integrating streaming media technology into the EMR system to facilitate referrals, contracted laboratories, and disease notification among hospitals. The current study encoded static and dynamic medical images of patients into a streaming video format and stored them in a Flash Media Server (FMS). Based on the Taiwan Electronic Medical Record Template (TMT) standard, EMR records can be converted into XML documents and used to integrate description fields with embedded streaming videos. This investigation implemented a web-based portable EMR interchanging system using streaming media techniques to expedite exchanging medical image information among hospitals. The proposed architecture of the portable EMR retrieval system not only provides local hospital users the ability to acquire EMR text files from a previous hospital, but also helps access static and dynamic medical images as reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment. The proposed method protects property rights of medical images through information security mechanisms of the Medical Record Interchange Service Center and Health Certificate Authorization to facilitate proper, efficient, and continuous treatment of patients.

  9. Theoretical Analysis of The Use of Social Media in The Enterprise Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monika Donculaitė

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the article is to present the results of analysis of scientific literature on the social media concept and social media classification and provide insights on how the use of the social media can be expanded in business to get the maximum benefits and minimize potential risks. The structure of the article fits for purpose – presents the analysis of the scientific literature, synthesis, comparison, systematization of information and its graphical visualization. The performed analysis allowed to determine possibilities for application of the social media in the enterprise activities and to identify gained benefits. Social media allows enterprises to communicate more flexible and faster both in the outside and inside environment, facilitates customer accessibility, provides opportunity to quickly respond to customer feedback or inform existing and potential customers about new ideas and proposals.

  10. Pengembangan Media Pembelajaran Interaktif untuk Sekolah Menengah Atas Kelas XI pada Pokok Bahasan Momentum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sri Rezeki

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract This research is aimed to developing interactive learning media physics for high school class XI with chapter of momentum and test the feasibility of interactive learning media through media expert validation and subject experts. Based on the evaluation of the validator (media specialists and subject experts, the media of the development of aspects of the product appearance and usefulness aspects of the product got a score average of 80.23% is included in the category of Most Eligible. Based on the results of the validation assessment of media experts, media development results are included in the category of Most Eligible with the feasibility level of 81.98%. Based on the validation results subject experts, media development results included in the category of Eligible with the feasibility level of 78.47%. Based on the results of the response of students scored an average 74.63% included in the category of Eligible. Based on the assessment, it can be concluded that, media interactive learning on the subject of momentum declared fit for use as a medium of learning physics class XI high school student. Keywords: media interactive learning, physics education, learning strategies, high school. Abstrak Penelitian pengembangan ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan media pembelajaran fisika interaktif untuk sekolah menengah atas kelas XI materi momentum dan menguji kelayakan media pembelajaran interaktif melalui validasi ahli media dan ahli materi. Berdasarkan hasil penilaian dari para validator (ahli media dan ahli materi, media hasil pengembangan dari  aspek penampilan produk dan  aspek kemanfaatan produk mendapat skor rerata 80.23% yang termasuk dalam kategori Sangat Layak. Berdasarkan hasil penilaian validasi ahli media, media hasil pengembangan termasuk dalam kategori Sangat Layak dengan tingkat kelayakan 81.98%. Berdasarkan hasil validasi ahli materi, media hasil pengembangan termasuk dalam kategori Layak dengan tingkat kelayakan 78

  11. CAUSES FOR INEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MEDICAL SPECIALISTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stayko I. Spiridonov

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: In the resent years the healthcare system has moved to inter-professional, cross-disciplinary, multi-person approach where the communications are very important for ensuring patient safety. Communication in health organisations needs to be studied and analysed deeply and comprehensively because the future of an organisation often depends on good communication. The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyse the reasons for ineffective communication between medical specialists in the teams they work in. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire method is used. Through a survey over a period of 12 months (from 01. 12. 2014 to 01. 12. 2015 at the Escullap Hospital in Pazardzhik, DCC 18 - Sofia, St. Mina Hospital in Plovdiv, MHAT – Plovdiv, DCC 1 in Haskovo, UMHAT in Stara Zagora, DCC 3 in Varna and MHAT – Parvomay, was studied and analyzed the opinion of medical specialists on the effectiveness of communication within the team they work in. The survey includes 477 medical specialists. Results and conclusions: According to 41.1% of the respondents, the communication in the team they work in is insufficiently effective. Most of the respondents (39.8% find their colleagues responsible for the ineffective communication, followed by those who seek the cause for poor communication in the management of the health care facility (27.6%. The leading cause of poor communication in the team according to the study participants is the inequality between the characters of the colleagues (41.9%. According to the majority of respondents (28.3%, improvements in facilities and wage increases (27.3% would be essential to improve communication within the team they work in. Recommendations have been formulated to improve communication among medical specialists.

  12. Journalism and Media Future - Creating Identity and Reality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Slađana Stamenković

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Media and journalism are in constant uncertainty caused by the influence of online communities . A certain change is: ways of content distribution to consumers, media content and its production. Changes induced by metamedia - the internet is changing the position of the media market and the fundamental role of journalism. In response to these challenges in the U.S. several years ago began to develop the concept of "entrepreneurial journalism" that is still relatively unknown in the European public. Computers write news for, and artificial-intelligence experts at Google, predict that by of 2029. PCs to be smarter than the people, that in the next 15 years become more and more intelligent and will be able to understand what you 're talking about, learn from experience, they joke, tell stories, and even flirt. Journalism still has not found the outlines of his new identity, but it partly determines the logic of speed, brevity and superficiality of competition. The role of the editor is changing drastically - the editor should develop a vision angle and create an environment of different specialists who will thoughtfully implement it in practice. To have a greater effect on advertisers, journalists and editors are expected to not act in isolation in relation to the media business, and they know the mechanisms that determine whether and how advertisers appear within the online media. Respecting editorial integrity, journalists are the ones who should influence the greater engagement of readers. New professions in mediasfera is the creator of Content Curation, which are of great use journalistic and editorial experience. Computer - mediated communication replaces the actual communication and the media no longer represent reality but create it. In such circumstances, the media are no longer defined by their monopolistic or oligopolistic status, but their position in the market is determined to create their own identity in the online environment without

  13. Social Media and HIV: A Systematic Review of Uses of Social Media in HIV Communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taggart, Tamara; Grewe, Mary Elisabeth; Conserve, Donaldson F; Gliwa, Catherine; Roman Isler, Malika

    2015-11-02

    Social media, including mobile technologies and social networking sites, are being used increasingly as part of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and treatment efforts. As an important avenue for communication about HIV, social media use may continue to increase and become more widespread. The objective of this paper is to present a comprehensive systematic review of the current published literature on the design, users, benefits, and limitations of using social media to communicate about HIV prevention and treatment. This review paper used a systematic approach to survey all literature published before February 2014 using 7 electronic databases and a manual search. The inclusion criteria were (1) primary focus on communication/interaction about HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), (2) discusses the use of social media to facilitate communication, (3) communication on the social media platform is between individuals or a group of individuals rather than the use of preset, automated responses from a platform, (4) published before February 19, 2014, and (5) all study designs. The search identified 35 original research studies. Thirty studies had low or unclear risk of at least one of the bias items in the methodological quality assessment. Among the 8 social media platform types described, short message service text messaging was most commonly used. Platforms served multiple purposes including disseminating health information, conducting health promotion, sharing experiences, providing social support, and promoting medication adherence. Social media users were diverse in geographic location and race/ethnicity; studies commonly reported users aged 18-40 years and users with lower income. Although most studies did not specify whether use was anonymous, studies reported the importance of anonymity in social media use to communicate about HIV largely due to the stigma associated with HIV. The ability to share and receive information about HIV was

  14. Social Media and HIV: A Systematic Review of Uses of Social Media in HIV Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grewe, Mary Elisabeth; Conserve, Donaldson F; Gliwa, Catherine; Roman Isler, Malika

    2015-01-01

    Background Social media, including mobile technologies and social networking sites, are being used increasingly as part of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and treatment efforts. As an important avenue for communication about HIV, social media use may continue to increase and become more widespread. Objective The objective of this paper is to present a comprehensive systematic review of the current published literature on the design, users, benefits, and limitations of using social media to communicate about HIV prevention and treatment. Methods This review paper used a systematic approach to survey all literature published before February 2014 using 7 electronic databases and a manual search. The inclusion criteria were (1) primary focus on communication/interaction about HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), (2) discusses the use of social media to facilitate communication, (3) communication on the social media platform is between individuals or a group of individuals rather than the use of preset, automated responses from a platform, (4) published before February 19, 2014, and (5) all study designs. Results The search identified 35 original research studies. Thirty studies had low or unclear risk of at least one of the bias items in the methodological quality assessment. Among the 8 social media platform types described, short message service text messaging was most commonly used. Platforms served multiple purposes including disseminating health information, conducting health promotion, sharing experiences, providing social support, and promoting medication adherence. Social media users were diverse in geographic location and race/ethnicity; studies commonly reported users aged 18-40 years and users with lower income. Although most studies did not specify whether use was anonymous, studies reported the importance of anonymity in social media use to communicate about HIV largely due to the stigma associated with HIV. The ability to share and

  15. IVF culture media: past, present and future.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chronopoulou, Elpiniki; Harper, Joyce C

    2015-01-01

    The advances in the world of IVF during the last decades have been rapid and impressive and culture media play a major role in this success. Until the 1980s fertility centers made their media in house. Nowadays, there are numerous commercially available culture media that contain various components including nutrients, vitamins and growth factors. This review goes through the past, present and future of IVF culture media and explores their composition and quality assessment. A computerized search was performed in PubMed regarding IVF culture media including results from 1929 until March 2014. Information was gathered from the websites of companies who market culture media, advertising material, instructions for use and certificates of analysis. The regulation regarding IVF media mainly in the European Union (EU) but also in non-European countries was explored. The keyword 'IVF culture media' gave 923 results in PubMed and 'embryo culture media' 12 068 results dating from 1912 until March 2014, depicting the increased scientific activity in this field. The commercialization of IVF culture media has increased the standards bringing a great variety of options into clinical practice. However, it has led to reduced transparency and comparisons of brand names that do not facilitate the scientific dialogue. Furthermore, there is some evidence suggesting that suboptimal culture conditions could cause long-term reprogramming in the embryo as the periconception period is particularly susceptible to epigenetic alterations. IVF media are now classified as class III medical devices and only CE (Conformité Européene)-marked media should be used in the EU. The CE marking of IVF culture media is a significant development in the field. However, the quality and efficiency of culture media should be monitored closely. Well-designed randomized controlled trials, large epidemiological studies and full transparency should be the next steps. Reliable, standardized models assessing

  16. Impact of a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in an Emergency Department for Seniors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw, Paul B; Delate, Thomas; Lyman, Alfred; Adams, Jody; Kreutz, Heather; Sanchez, Julia K; Dowd, Mary Beth; Gozansky, Wendolyn

    2016-02-01

    This study assesses outcomes associated with the implementation of an emergency department (ED) for seniors in which a clinical pharmacy specialist, with specialized geriatric training that included medication management training, is a key member of the ED care team. This was a retrospective cohort analysis of patients aged 65 years or older who presented at an ED between November 1, 2012, and May 31, 2013. Three groups of seniors were assessed: treated by the clinical pharmacy specialist in the ED for seniors, treated in the ED for seniors but not by the clinical pharmacy specialist, and not treated in the ED for seniors. Outcomes included rates of an ED return visit, mortality and hospital admissions, and follow-up total health care costs. Multivariable regression modeling was used to adjust for any potential confounders in the associations between groups and outcomes. A total of 4,103 patients were included, with 872 (21%) treated in the ED for seniors and 342 (39%) of these treated by the clinical pharmacy specialist. Groups were well matched overall in patient characteristics. Patients who received medication review and management by the clinical pharmacy specialist did not experience a reduction in ED return visits, mortality, cost of follow-up care, or hospital admissions compared with the other groups. Of the patients treated by the clinical pharmacy specialist, 154 (45.0%) were identified as having at least 1 medication-related problem. Although at least 1 medication-related problem was identified in almost half of patients treated by the clinical pharmacy specialist in the ED for seniors, incorporation of a clinical pharmacy specialist into the ED staff did not improve clinical outcomes. Copyright © 2015 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Contracting in specialists for emergency obstetric care- does it work in rural India?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Randive Bharat

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Contracting in private sector is promoted in developing countries facing human resources shortages as a challenge to reduce maternal mortality. This study explored provision, practice, performance, barriers to execution and views about contracting in specialists for emergency obstetric care (EmOC in rural India. Methods Facility survey was conducted in all secondary and tertiary public health facilities (44 in three heterogeneous districts in Maharashtra state of India. Interviews (42 were conducted with programme managers and district and block level officials and with public and private EmOC specialists. Locations of private obstetricians in the study districts were identified and mapped. Results Two schemes, namely Janani Suraksha Yojana and Indian Public Health standards (IPHS provided for contracting in EmOC specialists. The IPHS provision was chosen for use mainly due to greater sum for contracting in (US $ 30/service episode vs.300 US$/month. The positions of EmOC specialists were vacant in 83% of all facilities that hence had a potential for contracting in EmOC specialists. Private specialists were contracted in at 20% such facilities. The contracting in of specialists did not greatly increase EmOC service outputs at facilities, except in facilities with determined leadership. Contracting in specialists was useful for non emergency conditions, but not for obstetric emergencies. The contracts were more of a relational nature with poor monitoring structures. Inadequate infrastructure, longer distance to private specialists, insufficient financial provision for contracting in, and poor management capacities were barriers to effective implementation of contracting in. Dependency on the private sector was a concern among public partners while the private partners viewed contracting in as an opportunity to gain experience and credibility. Conclusions Density and geographic distribution of private specialists are important

  18. Contracting in specialists for emergency obstetric care- does it work in rural India?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randive, Bharat; Chaturvedi, Sarika; Mistry, Nerges

    2012-12-31

    Contracting in private sector is promoted in developing countries facing human resources shortages as a challenge to reduce maternal mortality. This study explored provision, practice, performance, barriers to execution and views about contracting in specialists for emergency obstetric care (EmOC) in rural India. Facility survey was conducted in all secondary and tertiary public health facilities (44) in three heterogeneous districts in Maharashtra state of India. Interviews (42) were conducted with programme managers and district and block level officials and with public and private EmOC specialists. Locations of private obstetricians in the study districts were identified and mapped. Two schemes, namely Janani Suraksha Yojana and Indian Public Health standards (IPHS) provided for contracting in EmOC specialists. The IPHS provision was chosen for use mainly due to greater sum for contracting in (US $ 30/service episode vs.300 US$/month). The positions of EmOC specialists were vacant in 83% of all facilities that hence had a potential for contracting in EmOC specialists. Private specialists were contracted in at 20% such facilities. The contracting in of specialists did not greatly increase EmOC service outputs at facilities, except in facilities with determined leadership. Contracting in specialists was useful for non emergency conditions, but not for obstetric emergencies. The contracts were more of a relational nature with poor monitoring structures. Inadequate infrastructure, longer distance to private specialists, insufficient financial provision for contracting in, and poor management capacities were barriers to effective implementation of contracting in. Dependency on the private sector was a concern among public partners while the private partners viewed contracting in as an opportunity to gain experience and credibility. Density and geographic distribution of private specialists are important influencing factors in determining feasibility and use of

  19. Integrating HCI Specialists into Open Source Software Development Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hedberg, Henrik; Iivari, Netta

    Typical open source software (OSS) development projects are organized around technically talented developers, whose communication is based on technical aspects and source code. Decision-making power is gained through proven competence and activity in the project, and non-technical end-user opinions are too many times neglected. In addition, also human-computer interaction (HCI) specialists have encountered difficulties in trying to participate in OSS projects, because there seems to be no clear authority and responsibility for them. In this paper, based on HCI and OSS literature, we introduce an extended OSS development project organization model that adds a new level of communication and roles for attending human aspects of software. The proposed model makes the existence of HCI specialists visible in the projects, and promotes interaction between developers and the HCI specialists in the course of a project.

  20. Struggling doctors in specialist training: a case control study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    O'Neill, Lotte; Norberg, Karen; Thomsen, Maria

    ), or transferred (i.e. had unplanned changes in place of training/ward due to failure to thrive or due to inadequate development of competences), or dropped out (i.e. were dismissed from, had resigned from, or changed their speciality). Controls were a random sample of doctors in the source population, who were......Abstract summary The aim of this cummulative incidence case-control study was to examine: if struggling trainees in medical specialist training (cases) tended to struggle already in medical school or not compared to non-struggling controls, and which performance indicators during medical school...... seemed to predict struggling in postgraduate education if any. The study design is rooted in epidemiological methodology. Struggling doctors in specialist training: a case-control study. It has been reported in the international literature, that around 3-10% of doctors in post-garduate specialist...

  1. An Investigation into the Role of Social Media Marketing in Organisational Performance

    OpenAIRE

    Barakat, Bassam; DALZIEL, Nurdilek

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: In an era that is characterised by speed and ruled by technology, new communication tools are required to achieve business objectives in a fast and innovative manner. This is facilitated by the emergence of Web 2.0 tools. Consequently, social media aroused as an assemblage of internet-based platforms that utilise the technological and ideological foundations of Web 2.0. While social media changed the fundamentals of business, marketing and communications in general, it also redefined...

  2. ISD Designed Medical Specialist Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rock, Samuel K., Jr.; Chagalis, George P.

    The Basic Medical Specialist course has one of the largest enrollments of the U.S. Army's Academy of Health Sciences; 11,000 soldiers were trained in this course in 1977 and 1978. Training encompasses both emergency first aid (for field medics) and basic nursing skills. A task force working to improve Army training developed this course, in…

  3. Facilitation as a teaching strategy : experiences of facilitators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E Lekalakala-Mokgele

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Changes in nursing education involve the move from traditional teaching approaches that are teacher-centred to facilitation, a student centred approach. The studentcentred approach is based on a philosophy of teaching and learning that puts the learner on centre-stage. The aim of this study was to identify the challenges of facilitators of learning using facilitation as a teaching method and recommend strategies for their (facilitators development and support. A qualitative, explorative and contextual design was used. Four (4 universities in South Africa which utilize facilitation as a teaching/ learning process were identified and the facilitators were selected to be the sample of the study. The main question posed during in-depth group interviews was: How do you experience facilitation as a teaching/learning method?. Facilitators indicated different experiences and emotions when they first had to facilitate learning. All of them indicated that it was difficult to facilitate at the beginning as they were trained to lecture and that no format for facilitation was available. They experienced frustrations and anxieties as a result. The lack of knowledge of facilitation instilled fear in them. However they indicated that facilitation had many benefits for them and for the students. Amongst the ones mentioned were personal and professional growth. Challenges mentioned were the fear that they waste time and that they do not cover the content. It is therefore important that facilitation be included in the training of nurse educators.

  4. A multi-functional testing instrument for heat assisted magnetic recording media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, H. Z.; Chen, Y. J.; Leong, S. H.; An, C. W.; Ye, K. D.; Hu, J. F.; Yin, M. J.

    2014-01-01

    With recent developments in heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), characterization of HAMR media is becoming very important. We present a multi-functional instrument for testing HAMR media, which integrates HAMR writing, reading, and a micro-magneto-optic Kerr effect (μ-MOKE) testing function. A potential application of the present instrument is to make temperature dependent magnetic property measurement using a pump-probe configuration. In the measurement, the media is heated up by a heating (intense) beam while a testing (weak) beam is overlapped with the heating beam for MOKE measurement. By heating the media with different heating beam power, magnetic measurements by MOKE at different temperatures can be performed. Compared to traditional existing tools such as the vibrating sample magnetometer, the present instrument provides localized and efficient heating at the measurement spot. The integration of HAMR writing and μ-MOKE system can also facilitate a localized full investigation of the magnetic media by potential correlation of HAMR head independent write/read performance to localized magnetic properties

  5. Caring for cancer patients on non-specialist wards.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Gill, Finola

    2012-02-01

    As cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, every nurse will be required to care for patients with the condition at some point in his\\/her career. However, non-specialized oncology nurses are often ill-prepared to nurse patients suffering from cancer. This literature review aims to provide an overview of current trends and developments in cancer care nursing in an attempt to identify the range of previous research pertaining to caring for patients with cancer on non-specialist wards. The review finds that non-specialized cancer nurses report a lack of education and training with regard to cancer care and cancer treatments, which acts as a barrier to providing quality nursing care. Emotional and communication issues with patients and their families can also cause non-specialist nurses significant distress. International research has shown that specialist oncology nurses make a considerable difference to physical and psychosocial patient care. It is therefore paramount that non-speciality nurses\\' educational needs are met to develop clinical competence and to provide supportive holistic care for both patients and their families.

  6. Social Media for the Promotion of Holistic Self-Participatory Care: An Evidence Based Approach. Contribution of the IMIA Social Media Working Group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miron-Shatz, T; Hansen, M M; Grajales, F J; Martin-Sanchez, F; Bamidis, P D

    2013-01-01

    As health information is becoming increasingly accessible, social media offers ample opportunities to track, be informed, share and promote health. These authors explore how social media and holistic care may work together; more specifically however, our objective is to document, from different perspectives, how social networks have impacted, supported and helped sustain holistic self-participatory care. A literature review was performed to investigate the use of social media for promoting health in general and complementary alternative care. We also explore a case study of an intervention for improving the health of Greek senior citizens through digital and other means. The Health Belief Model provides a framework for assessing the benefits of social media interventions in promoting comprehensive participatory self-care. Some interventions are particularly effective when integrating social media with real-world encounters. Yet not all social media tools are evidence-based and efficacious. Interestingly, social media is also used to elicit patient ratings of treatments (e.g., for depression), often demonstrating the effectiveness of complementary treatments, such as yoga and mindfulness meditation. To facilitate the use of social media for the promotion of complementary alternative medicine through self-quantification, social connectedness and sharing of experiences, exploration of concrete and abstract ideas are presented here within. The main mechanisms by which social support may help improve health - emotional support, an ability to share experiences, and non-hierarchal roles, emphasizing reciprocity in giving and receiving support - are integral to social media and provide great hope for its effective use.

  7. Inequalities in utilisation of general practitioner and specialist services in 9 European countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mielck Andreas

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of this study is to describe the magnitude of educational inequalities in utilisation of general practitioner (GP and specialist services in 9 European countries. In addition to West European countries, we have included 3 Eastern European countries: Hungary, Estonia and Latvia. To cover the gap in knowledge we pay a special attention to the magnitude of inequalities among patients with chronic conditions. Methods Data on the use of GP and specialist services were derived from national health surveys of Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands and Norway. For each country and education level we calculated the absolute prevalence and relative inequalities in utilisation of GP and specialist services. In order to account for the need for care, the results were adjusted by the measure of self-assessed health. Results People with lower education used GP services equally often in most countries (except Belgium and Germany compared with those with a higher level of education. At the same time people with a higher education used specialist care services significantly more often in all countries, except in the Netherlands. The general pattern of educational inequalities in utilisation of specialist care was similar for both men and women. Inequalities in utilisation of specialist care were equally large in Eastern European and in Western European countries, except for Latvia where the inequalities were somewhat larger. Similarly, large inequalities were found in the utilisation of specialist care among patients with chronic diseases, diabetes, and hypertension. Conclusions We found large inequalities in the utilisation of specialist care. These inequalities were not compensated by utilisation of GP services. Of particular concern is the presence of inequalities among patients with a high need for specialist care, such as those with chronic diseases.

  8. Inequalities in utilisation of general practitioner and specialist services in 9 European countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stirbu, Irina; Kunst, Anton E; Mielck, Andreas; Mackenbach, Johan P

    2011-10-31

    The aim of this study is to describe the magnitude of educational inequalities in utilisation of general practitioner (GP) and specialist services in 9 European countries. In addition to West European countries, we have included 3 Eastern European countries: Hungary, Estonia and Latvia. To cover the gap in knowledge we pay a special attention to the magnitude of inequalities among patients with chronic conditions. Data on the use of GP and specialist services were derived from national health surveys of Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands and Norway. For each country and education level we calculated the absolute prevalence and relative inequalities in utilisation of GP and specialist services. In order to account for the need for care, the results were adjusted by the measure of self-assessed health. People with lower education used GP services equally often in most countries (except Belgium and Germany) compared with those with a higher level of education. At the same time people with a higher education used specialist care services significantly more often in all countries, except in the Netherlands. The general pattern of educational inequalities in utilisation of specialist care was similar for both men and women. Inequalities in utilisation of specialist care were equally large in Eastern European and in Western European countries, except for Latvia where the inequalities were somewhat larger. Similarly, large inequalities were found in the utilisation of specialist care among patients with chronic diseases, diabetes, and hypertension. We found large inequalities in the utilisation of specialist care. These inequalities were not compensated by utilisation of GP services. Of particular concern is the presence of inequalities among patients with a high need for specialist care, such as those with chronic diseases. © 2011 Stirbu et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

  9. Work-based assessment within Malta’s specialist training programme in family medicine

    OpenAIRE

    Sammut, Mario R.; Abela, Gunther

    2014-01-01

    The Specialist Training Programme in Family Medicine (STPFM) – Malta was drawn up by the Malta College of Family Doctors in 2006, approved by Malta’s Specialist Accreditation Committee, and launched in 2007 by the Primary Health Care Department and the Malta College of Family Doctors. This article regarding the work-based assessment of specialist training in family medicine in Malta was prepared by consulting various local / international documents and publications tha...

  10. Media Education Initiatives by Media Organizations: The Uses of Media Literacy in Hong Kong Media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Donna; Lee, Alice Y. L.

    2014-01-01

    As more media organizations have engaged in media education, this paper investigates the goals and practices of these activities. This article coins media education initiatives by media organizations with the term "media-organization media literac"y (MOML). Four MOML projects in Hong Kong were selected for examination. Built on critical…

  11. Resource specialists lead local insect community turnover associated with temperature - analysis of an 18-year full-seasonal record of moths and beetles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomsen, Philip Francis; Jørgensen, Peter Søgaard; Bruun, Hans Henrik; Pedersen, Jan; Riis-Nielsen, Torben; Jonko, Krzysztof; Słowińska, Iwona; Rahbek, Carsten; Karsholt, Ole

    2016-01-01

    Insect responses to recent climate change are well documented, but the role of resource specialization in determining species vulnerability remains poorly understood. Uncovering local ecological effects of temperature change with high-quality, standardized data provides an important first opportunity for predictions about responses of resource specialists, and long-term time series are essential in revealing these responses. Here, we investigate temperature-related changes in local insect communities, using a sampling site with more than a quarter-million records from two decades (1992-2009) of full-season, quantitative light trapping of 1543 species of moths and beetles. We investigated annual as well as long-term changes in fauna composition, abundance and phenology in a climate-related context using species temperature affinities and local temperature data. Finally, we explored these local changes in the context of dietary specialization. Across both moths and beetles, temperature affinity of specialists increased through net gain of hot-dwelling species and net loss of cold-dwelling species. The climate-related composition of generalists remained constant over time. We observed an increase in species richness of both groups. Furthermore, we observed divergent phenological responses between cold- and hot-dwelling species, advancing and delaying their relative abundance, respectively. Phenological advances were particularly pronounced in cold-adapted specialists. Our results suggest an important role of resource specialization in explaining the compositional and phenological responses of insect communities to local temperature increases. We propose that resource specialists in particular are affected by local temperature increase, leading to the distinct temperature-mediated turnover seen for this group. We suggest that the observed increase in species number could have been facilitated by dissimilar utilization of an expanded growing season by cold- and hot

  12. Maximising the potential of social media to deliver academic library ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The findings revealed that academic libraries in Kenya are currently using Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Twitter to facilitate the sharing of information resources, provision of reference services, formation of professional networks, and promotion of library services. The findings also indicate that the use of social media ...

  13. Collaboration with general practitioners : preferences of medical specialists - a qualitative study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Berendsen, Annette J.; Benneker, Wim H. G. M.; Schuling, Jan; Rijkers-Koorn, Nienke; Slaets, Joris P. J.; Meyboom-de Jong, Betty

    2006-01-01

    Background: Collaboration between general practitioners (GPs) and specialists has been the focus of many collaborative care projects during the past decade. Unfortunately, quite a number of these projects failed. This raises the question of what motivates medical specialists to initiate and continue

  14. Mountain Warfare: The Need for Specialist Training

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Malik, Muhammad

    2003-01-01

    This study focuses on the need for specialist training for mountain warfare. It analyzes the special characteristics of mountain and high altitude terrain which affect conduct of military operations...

  15. Leveraging Social Computing for Personalized Crisis Communication using Social Media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leykin, Dmitry; Aharonson-Daniel, Limor; Lahad, Mooli

    2016-01-01

    Introduction: The extensive use of social media in modern life redefines social interaction and communication. Communication plays an important role in mitigating, or exacerbating, the psychological and behavioral responses to critical incidents and disasters. As recent disasters demonstrated, people tend to converge to social media during and following emergencies. Authorities can then use this media and other computational methods to gain insights from the public, mainly to enhance situational awareness, but also to improve their communication with the public and public adherence to instructions. Methods: The current review presents a conceptual framework for studying psychological aspects of crisis and risk communication using the social media through social computing. Results: Advanced analytical tools can be integrated in the processes and objectives of crisis communication. The availability of the computational techniques can improve communication with the public by a process of Hyper-Targeted Crisis Communication. Discussion: The review suggests that using advanced computational tools for target-audience profiling and linguistic matching in social media, can facilitate more sensitive and personalized emergency communication. PMID:27092290

  16. Leveraging Social Computing for Personalized Crisis Communication using Social Media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leykin, Dmitry; Aharonson-Daniel, Limor; Lahad, Mooli

    2016-03-24

    The extensive use of social media in modern life redefines social interaction and communication. Communication plays an important role in mitigating, or exacerbating, the psychological and behavioral responses to critical incidents and disasters. As recent disasters demonstrated, people tend to converge to social media during and following emergencies. Authorities can then use this media and other computational methods to gain insights from the public, mainly to enhance situational awareness, but also to improve their communication with the public and public adherence to instructions. The current review presents a conceptual framework for studying psychological aspects of crisis and risk communication using the social media through social computing. Advanced analytical tools can be integrated in the processes and objectives of crisis communication. The availability of the computational techniques can improve communication with the public by a process of Hyper-Targeted Crisis Communication. The review suggests that using advanced computational tools for target-audience profiling and linguistic matching in social media, can facilitate more sensitive and personalized emergency communication.

  17. Laying Claim to Social Media by Activists: A Cyber-Material Détournement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vasilis Galis

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available This article examines current appropriations of social media by activists of the radical left in Greece and Sweden. Previous research has shown that the discourse concerning social media’s empowering potential is embedded in commercial values that contradict the value systems of many activists who engage in struggles against the current economic system. We employ the notion of détournement, which describes how social movements turn something aside from its normal course or purpose. Based on interviews and online ethnographic observations, we seek to understand how and with what consequences social media facilitate and limit collective action. The article enhances our understanding of activists’ social media use by turning our attention to the sociotechnical impact of social media on collective action initiated by leftist groups as well as the relationship between ideological loyalties and the political economy of corporate social media.

  18. The Peer Specialist : Opportunities for the Recovery of Suicidal Care Consumers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Bergen, Diana; Huisman, Annemiek

    2017-01-01

    The emergence of peer specialists with a history of suicidality who work with suicidal care consumers is a recent phenomenon that increasingly receives attention in the field of suicide prevention. Peer specialists aim at: 1) Establishing a more open discussion of suicidality; 2) Enabling attempt

  19. “GENIT” AS EFFECTIVE DESIGN OF LEARNING MEDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Supriadi Mardiki

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available There are two main approaches to using media in schools: students can learn "from" Media and technology, and they can learn "with" media and technology. The basis for The use of media and technology as a "tutor" in schools is "educational communication," that is the deliberate act of communicating content (teaching content for students by assuming that they will learn something "from" this communication, so communication is not again free but controlled and conditioned for educational purposes. Findings on the impact of technologybased instruction in education can be concluded that technology as a tutor has a positive effect on learning, one of them is the student can complete a set of educational goals in less time than necessary in a traditional approach. However, these two approaches only make the task become easier but do not activate and facilitate them to think critical and higher learning. “Media Genit” uses a new approach as an approach that can optimize perspective-based cognitive processes, constructivism, which constitutes an environment in which the student as a designer thinks creative about content combined with real-world tasks, student learning content, enjoy the learning process, and recognize that they have created something that is valuable.

  20. Modeling fraud detection and the incorporation of forensic specialists in the audit process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sakalauskaite, Dominyka

    Financial statement audits are still comparatively poor in fraud detection. Forensic specialists can play a significant role in increasing audit quality. In this paper, based on prior academic research, I develop a model of fraud detection and the incorporation of forensic specialists in the audit...... process. The intention of the model is to identify the reasons why the audit is weak in fraud detection and to provide the analytical framework to assess whether the incorporation of forensic specialists can help to improve it. The results show that such specialists can potentially improve the fraud...... detection in the audit, but might also cause some negative implications. Overall, even though fraud detection is one of the main topics in research there are very few studies done on the subject of how auditors co-operate with forensic specialists. Thus, the paper concludes with suggestions for further...

  1. OSoMe: the IUNI observatory on social media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clayton A. Davis

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The study of social phenomena is becoming increasingly reliant on big data from online social networks. Broad access to social media data, however, requires software development skills that not all researchers possess. Here we present the IUNI Observatory on Social Media, an open analytics platform designed to facilitate computational social science. The system leverages a historical, ongoing collection of over 70 billion public messages from Twitter. We illustrate a number of interactive open-source tools to retrieve, visualize, and analyze derived data from this collection. The Observatory, now available at osome.iuni.iu.edu, is the result of a large, six-year collaborative effort coordinated by the Indiana University Network Science Institute.

  2. Impact of specialist palliative care on coping with Parkinson's disease: patients and carers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badger, Nathan J; Frizelle, Dorothy; Adams, Debi; Johnson, Miriam J

    2018-01-09

    UK guidelines recommend palliative care access for people with Parkinson's disease; however, this remains sporadic, and it is unknown whether specialist palliative care helps patients and carers cope with this distressing condition. This study aimed to explore whether, and how, access to specialist palliative care services affected patients' and carers' coping with Parkinson's disease. Semistructured interviews were conducted, audio-recorded and verbatim transcribed. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Participants were patients with advanced idiopathic Parkinson's disease (n=3), and carers of people with Parkinson's disease (n=5, however, one diagnosis was reviewed) receiving care from an integrated specialist palliative care and Parkinson's disease service in North East England. Access to specialist palliative care helped participants cope with some aspects of advanced Parkinson's disease. Three superordinate themes were developed:' managing uncertainty', 'impacts on the self' and 'specialist palliative care maintaining a positive outlook'. Specialist palliative care helped patients and carers cope with advanced Parkinson's disease. Specialist palliative care is a complex intervention that acknowledges the complex and holistic nature of Parkinson's disease, enabling health in some domains despite continued presence of pathology. These exploratory findings support the utility of this approach for people living with Parkinson's disease. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  3. The specialist physician's approach to rheumatoid arthritis in South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bester, Frederik C J; Bosch, Fredricka J; van Rensburg, Barend J Jansen

    2016-03-01

    Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is expected to increase in Africa and South Africa. Due to the low numbers of rheumatologists in South Africa, specialist physicians also have to care for patients with RA. Furthermore several new developments have taken place in recent years which improved the management and outcome of RA. Classification criteria were updated, assessment follow-up tools were refined and above all, several new biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were developed. Therefore it is imperative for specialist physicians to update themselves with the newest developments in the management of RA. This article provides an overview of the newest developments in the management of RA in the South African context. This approach may well apply to countries with similar specialist to patient ratios and disease profiles.

  4. Training Nuclear Power Specialists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paulikas, V.

    2003-01-01

    Situation of preparation of nuclear energy specialists in Lithuania is presented. Nuclear engineers are being prepared at Kaunas University of Technology. In view with decision to decommission Unit 1, the Ignalina NPP is limiting the number of new personnel to fill in vacancies. The main attention is given to the training courses for improvement skills of existing Ignalina NPP, VATESI personnel. Main topics of the training courses are listed. Comparison with previous years on personnel hired and dismissed in Ignalina NPP is made

  5. Knowledge sharing via social media in software development: a systematic literature review

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sarka, Peter Bo; Ipsen, Christine

    2017-01-01

    communication are driving organizations to leverage social media tools to improve performance. These tools, which have changed the way we share knowledge, enable people to connect, communicate, and collaborate. Research on knowledge sharing via social media is still in its early phases, with a comprehensive......Effective knowledge exchange among software developers is crucial for the competitive performance of their organizations. Today, the constant pressure on businesses to continually innovate and the increasing capability of information technologies to facilitate broader and more distributed...

  6. More Media for Southern Africa? The Place of Politics, Economics ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In line with global trends, media in Southern Africa in the past decade has been moving slowly towards mergers, partnerships and multi-platform publishing. Driven by politics and facilitated by technology, the process has had to confront the difficulty of establishing viable economic models, the lack of regional integration ...

  7. How Managers' Shared Mental Models of Business–Customer Interactions Create Different Sensemaking of Social Media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rydén, Pernille; Ringberg, Torsten; Wilke, Ricky

    2015-01-01

    Building on empirical research, we identify four mental models of business–customer interactions and show how each uniquely affects how managers conceptualize and use social media. The four models are “business-to-customers,” “business-from-customers,” “business-with-customers,” and “business......-for-customers.” The mental model approach helps explain why managers' use of social media does not necessarily lead to radical changes in their interaction with customers, despite the opportunities facilitated by these media. We provide a conceptual framework that enables managers to introspectively investigate their own...... mental models and thereby revise their sensemaking and use of social media....

  8. Social Media in Shoulder & Elbow Surgery: An Analysis of Twitter and Instagram.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramkumar, Prem N; Navarro, Sergio M; Cornaghie, Margaret M; Haeberle, Heather S; Hameed, Hafsah; Schickendantz, Mark S; Ricchetti, Eric T; Iannotti, Joseph P

    2018-07-01

    Social media provide a unique method of analyzing outcomes and quality in medicine. The purpose of this observational study was to investigate the nature of social media content related to shoulder and elbow (S&E) surgery posted by patients, surgeons, and hospitals. A public search of Instagram for a two-year period yielded 1,177 patient-related posts. A categorical system assessed the perspective, timing, tone, and content of each post. Twitter accounts of 77 S&E specialists from the top five ranked U.S. News & World Report institutions were analyzed for activity and content. 5,246 Twitter and Instagram posts for the institutions were analyzed for frequency and content. Most patient-related posts were by patients (68%), postoperative (82%), positive (87%), and centered on return-to-play for Tommy John (34%), surgical site for shoulder arthroplasty (52%), and activities of daily living for rotator cuff repair (22%). 37% of surgeons had active accounts averaging 46 posts, 87% of which were practice advertisements. Hospitals averaged 273 posts over the 2-year period, focusing on education (38%) and community (18%). S&E patients share outcomes on social media in a positive tone with procedure-dependent emphases. Surgeons on social media use sites for practice augmentation. Hospitals often focused posts towards educating the community. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  9. [What is parents' and medical health care specialists knowledge about vaccinations?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarczoń, Izabela; Domaradzka, Ewa; Czajka, Hanna

    2009-01-01

    The aim of the study was to become familiar with parents' and Medical Health Care specialists knowledge and attitude towards vaccinations. The influence of information, provided to patients from various sources, on general opinion about immunization and its coverage within the last year were evaluated. Analysis of questionnaires about vaccinations performed among 151 parents and 180 Medical Health Care specialists. Medical Health Care specialists knowledge was considerably higher in comparison to questioned parents. Surprisingly enough, only approximately 90% of Medical Health Care workers knew about prophylaxis of Hib infections. A doctor is the main and the most reliable source of information for parents. Significant impact on parents' attitude to vaccinations is made not only by campaigns promoting vaccinations, but also by widespread opinions about their harmfulness. The doctor is the major source of reliable information about vaccinations for parents. Therefore, there is the need of continuous improvement of Medical Health Care specialists knowledge, but also the ability of successfully communicating it to parents.

  10. The role of rehabilitation specialists in Canadian NICUs: a national survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limperopoulos, Catherine; Majnemer, Annette

    2002-01-01

    Rehabilitation specialists are an integral part of the team in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A national survey was conducted to elucidate the current roles of rehabilitation specialists. Occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech and language pathology (SLP) departments in all Canadian health care institutions with tertiary level NICUs (n = 38) were surveyed by telephone. Results indicate that 16% have no rehabilitation coverage, while 11% receive very limited external services (< 1/month). Over half of the OT and PT departments provide weekly services whereas only 5/38 provide SLP coverage. Service delivery includes assessment and a number of therapeutic interventions. Splinting and feeding are predominantly performed by OT, whereas chest physiotherapy and ROM are carried out primarily by PT. Rehabilitation specialists are actively involved in education and case management. The extent of involvement of rehabilitation specialists was discrepant, and highly associated with the type of facility. Rehabilitation services, when provided, are comprehensive and include evaluation, treatment, teaching, decision-making, and family support.

  11. A Survey of Headache Medicine Specialists on Career Satisfaction and Burnout.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Randolph W; Ghosh, Kamalika

    2015-01-01

    Physicians report increasing rates of career dissatisfaction and professional burnout, which may be related to the practice environment and subspecialty. There has never been a survey of professional burnout among headache medicine specialists. The aim of the present survey was to learn more about how headache medicine physicians are affected by these issues. An email survey was sent to 749 physician members of the American Headache Society with questions or statements about demographics, professional quality of life and satisfaction, future practice plans, and professional burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. In a sample of 127 headache medicine specialists, 66 (57.4%) physicians reported symptoms of professional burnout reflected by high Emotional Exhaustion and/or high Depersonalization. There is widespread dissatisfaction with work schedules, government regulations, implementation of the Affordable Care Act, insurance company policies, malpractice concerns, patient telephone calls, and compensation. Sixty-two percent of respondents concur that headache medicine is becoming more complicated without patient benefit, 14% concur that headache medicine specialists are fairly compensated, and 59% would go into headache medicine again if they were fourth year medical students. In the next 1 to 3 years, 21.3% plan to cut back on hours, 14.2% plan to cut back on patients seen, and 12.6% plan to switch to a cash practice. Medicine and healthcare are changing in such a way that 33.9% concur that they will accelerate their retirement plans. Headache medicine specialists have one of the highest rates of burnout compared to other physician specialists, which is twice the rate of working adults. Physicians' age and practice environment and experience are related with their career satisfaction and professional burnout. Some attributes of career satisfaction can decrease burnout by reducing emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and by enhancing personal

  12. Sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction among specialists within the public and private health sectors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ashton, Toni; Brown, Paul M.; Sopina, Elizaveta (Liza)

    2013-01-01

    and professional development, key sources of dissatisfaction are workload pressures, mentally demanding work and managerial interference. In the private sector specialists value the opportunity to work independently and apply their own ideas in the workplace. Conclusion Sources of job satisfaction...... and dissatisfaction amongst specialists are different for the public and private sectors. Allowing specialists more freedom to work independently and to apply their own ideas in the workplace may enhance recruitment and retention of specialists in the public health system....

  13. Lung cancer specialist physicians' attitudes towards e-cigarettes: A nationwide survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Dong Wook; Kim, Young Il; Kim, Seung Joon; Kim, Jung Soo; Chong, SeMin; Park, Young Sik; Song, Sang-Yun; Lee, Jin Han; Ahn, Hee Kyung; Kim, Eun Young; Yang, Sei Hoon; Lee, Myoung Kyu; Cho, Deog Gon; Jang, Tae Won; Son, Ji Woong; Ryu, Jeong-Seon; Cho, Moon-June

    2017-01-01

    Despite a sharp increase in e-cigarette use, there is debate about whether e-cigarettes are a viable alternative for harm reduction, and the forms that regulation should take. Healthcare providers can be effective in offering guidance to patients and their families and shaping regulatory policy. We described lung cancer specialists' attitudes toward e-cigarettes and its regulation. We undertook a nationwide survey of pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, medical and radiological oncologists who are members of Korean Association for Lung Cancer. Survey items included beliefs and attitudes toward e-cigarettes, attitudes toward e-cigarette regulation and preparedness on discussing e-cigarettes with their patients. Most respondents believed that e-cigarettes are not safer than conventional tobacco cigarettes (75.7%) or smokeless tobacco (83.2%), and feared that discussing e-cigarettes with the patients would encourage use (65.4%). They did not consider it a smoking cessation treatment (78.3%), and thus would not recommend it to smokers who do not want to quit (82.2%) or who failed to quit with conventional smoking cessation treatment (74.1%). Most respondents supported all examples of e-cigarette regulations, including the safety and quality check (97.8%), warning label (97.8%), advertisement ban (95.1%), restriction of flavoring (78.4%), minimum purchasing age (99.5%), and restriction of indoor use (94.6%). Most learned about e-cigarettes from media and advertisements, or conversation with patients rather than through professional scientific resources, and reported discomfort when discussing e-cigarette with patients. Lung cancer specialist physicians in Korea doubt the safety of e-cigarette and use of e-cigarette as smoking cessation treatment, and supported strict regulation. However, only 20% reported that they obtained information on e-cigarettes from the scientific literature and many lacked adequate knowledge based on scientific evidence, suggesting the need for

  14. Payload specialist Ronald Parise using SAREX

    Science.gov (United States)

    1995-01-01

    ASTRO-2 payload specialist Ronald A. Parise reminisces on his inspace amateur radio experience of five years ago in the ASTRO-1 mission. Using the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX), Parise talks to students on Earth from the flight deck of the Earth orbiting Space Shuttle Endeavour.

  15. Motivation and stimulation of employment specialists in the sphere of information technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Bazhenov

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The article discusses the concept of "Information and communication technologies." The characteristic of the labor specialists in the sphere of information technologies, namely the characteristics of the object, means and product of their labor. The author of the article deals with the specifics of specialists of the topic. We study the needs and motivations of IT professionals. A method for evaluating the effectiveness of labor specialists in the sphere of information technologies and offered rates for calculating the efficiency of workers, including factors: timeliness; the number of completed tasks; detected errors; the cost of bug fixes. Purpose of the article – to reveal the specifics of working IT professionals, and especially to justify the incentives and motivation of specialists in this field. The objectives of the article: to characterize the concept of "Information and communications technologies"; identify the main needs and motivations of IT professionals; develop a method for evaluating the effectiveness of specialists in this field.Methodology. In conducting this study the main sources of raw data served as the information contained in scientific, reference, periodical literature on the subject in question, including the sources of information and telecommunications network "Internet". The basis of methodological developments put the comparative methods of analysis and synthesis of existing data.Results. The characteristic of the concept of "Information and communication technologies." It is proved that the work of specialists in the sphere of information technologies is intellectual work, and that the subject, the means and the product of this kind of work – are special types of information in digital form. Emphasize that as part of the system of social production, work in the field of software development (software performs a task and a number of specific functions: creative, integration, stimulating, consumer

  16. Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis 2015 (HESPA 2015): Process and Outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKenzie, James F.; Dennis, Dixie; Auld, M. Elaine; Lysoby, Linda; Doyle, Eva; Muenzen, Patricia M.; Caro, Carla M.; Kusorgbor-Narh, Cynthia S.

    2016-01-01

    The Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis 2015 (HESPA 2015) was conducted to update and validate the Areas of Responsibilities, Competencies, and Sub-competencies for Entry- and Advanced-Level Health Education Specialists. Two data collection instruments were developed--one was focused on Sub-competencies and the other on knowledge items…

  17. From Professional Competencies to Capacity: A Study of Education and Training for Subject Specialists

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming-Hsin Phoebe Chiu

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Subject specialists are important assets in academic and research libraries. They possess not only the specialized knowledge of a particular subject field, but also the skills in library and information services. Looming shortage of qualified subject specialists resulting from the retirement of current professionals, most likely the baby-boomer generation, persuasively suggests that education and training are in urgent need of rethinking. This empirical study was conducted within the context of Library and Information Science education and academic librarianship in North America. Survey, content analysis, and focus group were employed as data collection methods. This study aims to analyze the status of LIS education for subject specialists, education needs and personal attributes of subject specialists, and the qualifications and responsibilities of becoming subject specialists. The goal of the study is to understand the knowledge, skills, and attitude of becoming subject specialists. Results of the study may provide insight into planning of formal curriculum and on-the-job training. [Article content in Chinese

  18. Networked Scholarship and Motivations for Social Media Use in Scholarly Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manca, Stefania; Ranier, Maria

    2017-01-01

    Research on scholars' use of social media suggests that these sites are increasingly being used to enhance scholarly communication by strengthening relationships, facilitating collaboration among peers, publishing and sharing research products, and discussing research topics in open and public formats. However, very few studies have investigated…

  19. Rural specialists: The nature of their work and professional satisfaction by geographical location of work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Sullivan, Belinda; McGrail, Matthew; Russell, Deborah

    2017-12-01

    Systematically describe the characteristics of rural specialists, their work and job satisfaction by geographical location of work. Cross-sectional. Three thousand, four hundred and seventy-nine medical specialists participating in the 2014 Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey of doctors. Location of practice, whether metropolitan, large (>50 000 population) or small regional centres (Rural specialists had more on-call requirements and poorer professional development opportunities. However, satisfaction with work hours, remuneration, variety of work, level of responsibility, opportunities to use abilities and overall satisfaction did not differ. Specialists in general medicine and general surgery were significantly more likely to work rurally compared with anaesthetists, particularly in small regional centres, whereas a range of other relevant specialists had lower than the average rural distribution and paediatricians and endocrinologists were significantly less likely to work in large regional centres. Rural specialists are just as satisfied as metropolitan counterparts reporting equivalent variety and responsibility at work. Better support for on-call demands and access to professional development could attract more specialists to rural practice. Increased rural training opportunities and regional workforce planning is needed to develop and recruit relevant specialties. Specifically, targeted support is warranted for training and development of specialists in general medicine and general surgery and overseas-trained specialists, who provide essential services in smaller regional centres. © 2017 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

  20. The development of the specialism of emergency medicine: media and cultural influences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timmons, Stephen; Nairn, Stuart

    2015-01-01

    In this article we analyse, via a critical review of the literature, the development of a relatively new medical specialism in the United Kingdom, that of emergency medicine. Despite the high media profile of emergency care, it is a low-status specialism within UK medicine. The creation of a specialist College in 2008 means that, symbolically, recognition as a full specialism has now been achieved. In this article, we will show, using a sociology of professions approach, how emergency medicine defined itself as a specialism, and sought to carve out a distinctive jurisdiction. While, in the context of the UK National Health Service, the state was clearly an important factor in the development of this profession, we wish to develop the analysis further than is usual in the sociology of professions. We will analyse the wider cultural context for the development of this specialism, which has benefited from its high profile in the media, through both fictional and documentary sources. © The Author(s) 2014.

  1. The Specialist Court for Kosovo: continuity or departure from the hybrid courts model?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shkёlzen Selimi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The issue of whether to establish Specialist Chambers within the Kosovo justice system for alleged war crimes committed in Kosovo has been, arguably, one of the most heated debates not only from a political and social point of view, but also from a legal one. While the required amendments in the Constitution and several laws of Kosovo necessary to establish the Specialist Chambers in furtherance of the agreement dated 14 April 2014 between the Republic of Kosovo and the European Union on the Mission of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (“EULEX” will certainly create heated debates in the political level, one may argue that the legal issues that are expected to be encountered when the Specialist Chambers will be operational, may be even more pressing. This is in consideration of the peculiar nature of the Specialist Chambers, which are meant to have their basis within the laws of Kosovo, but at the same time, be independent from them and from control of Kosovo authorities. The purpose of this article is to delineate the possible legal issues that might confront the Specialist Chambers of Kosovo. Its main argument is that, while the Specialist Chambers seem to follow the experience of other hybrid internationalised courts, it still differs from them in some aspects. The challenges that the new Specialist Chambers may need to tackle deal with its jurisdiction and position within the Kosovo Judicial system, and its legitimacy and legal basis.

  2. Few older people in New Zealand who commit suicide receive specialist psychogeriatric services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, Gary; Casey, Jane

    2014-08-01

    Suicide in older people is a growing public health concern in many parts of the world. The literature on this issue is lacking in New Zealand. The aim of this study is to ascertain whether this group is accessing specialist psychogeriatric services. A retrospective case series study of completed suicides in older people (≥65 years) during a three-year period from January 2010 to December 2012 was performed. An online survey detailing demographic and clinical information was completed by psychiatrists in 15 of the 20 District Health Boards in New Zealand. Only about 15% of older people who committed suicide were accessing specialist psychogeriatric services and the group with the highest suicide rate (men≥85 years) did not feature in specialist services. Depression (61%) was the most common diagnosis and nearly half (35%) had had contact with specialist services within three days prior to the suicide. Over half (52%) had a history of past suicide attempt(s). Older people who complete suicide are infrequently accessing specialist services. In those that do, there are questions to be answered regarding suicide prediction and prevention for this high-risk group of vulnerable individuals. More research is required targeting those not accessing specialist services, in particular the high risk group of older men. The role of general practitioner, community care, the assessment and management of depression and whether there is any access issue to specialist psychogeriatric services require elucidation. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014.

  3. Practical guidance: the use of social media in oncology practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dizon, Don S; Graham, David; Thompson, Michael A; Johnson, Lisa J; Johnston, Claire; Fisch, Michael J; Miller, Robert

    2012-09-01

    The penetration of social media into modern society has become a worldwide cultural phenomenon. Social media use widely accessible Web-based and mobile technologies to facilitate the creation and sharing of user-generated content in a collaborative and social manner. The uptake of social media in medicine provides new opportunities for health care professionals and institutions to interact with patients and other professionals. Oncologists may use social media as a platform for patient education and authoritative health messaging, for professional development and knowledge sharing, and for direct patient interaction, although this may be fraught with important legal and privacy concerns. In this article, a working group of the ASCO Integrated Media and Technology Committee explores how oncologists might responsibly use social media in their professional lives. Existing social media policies from hospitals, health systems, and pharmaceutical industries are examined to identify common concepts informing the development of future guidelines. Key principles identified include establishing institutional ownership of social media activities and safeguarding protected health information. Furthermore, oncologists must not confuse the roles of provider of information and provider of care, must understand regulations related to state licensure and medical records, and must recognize the importance of transparency and disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. social media may be particularly useful for raising the awareness of and recruitment to clinical trials, but compliance with federal and state regulations and areas under the purview of a local institutional review board must also be ensured. Examples of constructive use of social media in oncology with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are provided.

  4. INDIVIDUALISME DAN LIBERALISME DALAM SEKULARISME MEDIA AMERIKA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alia Azmi

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Liberal thoughts argue that men have rational and logical ability to decide the rightest and best choice for themselves, which means that men are autonomous in determining their life’s orientation and truth. Therefore men cannot be forced to accept certain general truth from the society because each person have distinguished goal, which is incommensurable. The single interpretation of truth is considered incompatible with human ability to contemplate their objectives. This makes the basis of the secular practice in American society; the separation of church (religion and state, where religion is considered private matters. The amendment of the constitution clearly notes that state should not make any law respecting or against practice of any religion. This practice can be seen in the American mass media, where most hold liberal view and shun away from religious debates. Media as a public sphere play an important role in facilitating the debate about discourses, therefore refrain from  private matters such as religion. Key words: liberal self-determinism, secularism, American media

  5. EDMODO AS A MEDIA TO TEACH VOCABULARY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sutrisno Sadji Evenddy

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This article aims at intoducing how to use Edmodo to teach vocabulary. Vocabulary is a component of English language. When we are speaking and writing, we need to master vocabulary related to certain topic. Therefore vocabulary is important thing in learning language. But, mastering English vocabularies is not easy. Teacher needs a media to make an interesting teaching-learning process. One of the most accepted trends in the field of teaching vocabulary in a foreign language teaching is Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL. CALL has several applications that can be used by the teachers in teaching vocabulary. Computer and mobile telephone internet allow immediate connection to a server. In the internet browser the teachers and students can browse Edmodo. One of media is Edmodo. Edmodo is one of social media which can be operated by students, teachers or lecturers, and parents. It is able to be used to post various assignments and students’ learning achievement, actual discussion topics, video, appointments, and to facilitate students’ polls which are related to teaching learning process.

  6. Part-time and full-time medical specialists, are there differences in allocation of time?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Groenewegen Peter P

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background An increasing number of medical specialists prefer to work part-time. This development can be found worldwide. Problems to be faced in the realization of part-time work in medicine include the division of night and weekend shifts, as well as communication between physicians and continuity of care. People tend to think that physicians working part-time are less devoted to their work, implying that full-time physicians complete a greater number of tasks. The central question in this article is whether part-time medical specialists allocate their time differently to their tasks than full-time medical specialists. Methods A questionnaire was sent by mail to all internists (N = 817, surgeons (N = 693 and radiologists (N = 621 working in general hospitals in the Netherlands. Questions were asked about the actual situation, such as hours worked and night and weekend shifts. The response was 53% (n = 411 for internists, 52% (n = 359 for surgeons, and 36% (n = 213 for radiologists. Due to non-response on specific questions there were 367 internists, 316 surgeons, and 71 radiologists included in the analyses. Multilevel analyses were used to analyze the data. Results Part-time medical specialists do not spend proportionally more time on direct patient care. With respect to night and weekend shifts, part-time medical specialists account for proportionally more or an equal share of these shifts. The number of hours worked per FTE is higher for part-time than for full-time medical specialists, although this difference is only significant for surgeons. Conclusion In general, part-time medical specialists do their share of the job. However, we focussed on input only. Besides input, output like the numbers of services provided deserves attention as well. The trend in medicine towards more part-time work has an important consequence: more medical specialists are needed to get the work done. Therefore, a greater number of medical specialists

  7. Correlates of in-person and technology-facilitated sexual harassment from an online survey among young Australians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Douglass, Caitlin H; Wright, Cassandra J C; Davis, Angela C; Lim, Megan S C

    2018-06-01

    Background: Technology-facilitated sexual harassment is an emerging phenomenon. This study investigates correlates of sexual harassment among young Australians. Methods: Participants aged 15-29 were recruited for an online survey. Participants reported how often in the past year they experienced sexual harassment in person, via phone, social media and dating apps. Correlates of in-person and technology-facilitated sexual harassment were identified using logistic regression. Results: Of all participants (n=1272, 70% female), two-thirds reported sexual harassment in person, 34% through social media and 26% via phone. Of participants who used a dating app in the past year (n=535), 57% experienced sexual harassment. Sexual harassment in person was correlated with being female (aOR=9.2, CI=6.9-12.2), trans and gender diverse (aOR=2.6, CI=1.2-5.7) and being aged 20-24 years (aOR=1.5, CI=1.1-2.1). Heterosexual identity reduced the odds of sexual harassment in person (aOR=0.7, CI=0.5-0.9). Technology-facilitated sexual harassment was correlated with female (aOR=3.5, CI=2.6-4.6) and trans and gender diverse identities (aOR=3.0, CI=1.4-6.5). Older age [25-29 years (aOR=0.5, CI=0.4-0.8)] and heterosexual identity (aOR=0.7, CI=0.5-0.9) significantly reduced the odds of technology-facilitated sexual harassment. Conclusion: Young people identifying as female, trans and gender diverse and non-heterosexual are at risk of in-person and technology-facilitated sexual harassment. Service and technology providers, academics, and policy makers must respond with innovative strategies.

  8. Operative training in otolaryngology in the United Kingdom: a specialist registrar survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Georgalas, Christos; Hadjihannas, Edward; Ghufoor, Khalid; Pracy, Paul; Papesch, Michael

    2005-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To assess the current status of operative training for otolaryngology specialist registrars in the United Kingdom. DESIGN: Web-based questionnaire survey. PARTICIPANTS: All otolaryngology specialist registrars in the United Kingdom. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The overall satisfaction with

  9. What influences the job satisfaction of staff and associate specialist hospital doctors?

    Science.gov (United States)

    French, Fiona; Ikenwilo, Divine; Scott, Anthony

    2007-08-01

    Despite their rising numbers in the National Health Service (NHS), the recruitment, retention, morale and educational needs of staff and associate specialist hospital doctors have traditionally not been the focus of attention. A postal survey of all staff grades and associate specialists in NHS Scotland was conducted to investigate the determinants of their job satisfaction. Doctors in both grades were least satisfied with their pay. They were more satisfied if they were treated as equal members of the clinical team, but less satisfied if their workload adversely affected the quality of patient care. With the exception of female associate specialists, respondents who wished to become a consultant were less satisfied with all aspects of their jobs. Associate specialists who worked more sessions also had lower job satisfaction. Non-white staff grades were less satisfied with their job compared with their white counterparts. It is important that associate specialists and staff grades are promoted to consultant posts, where this is desired. It is also important that job satisfaction is enhanced for doctors who do not desire promotion, thereby improving retention. This could be achieved through improved pay, additional clinical training, more flexible working hours and improved status.

  10. From Augmentation Media to Meme Media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Yuzuru

    Computers as meta media are now evolving from augmentation media vehicles to meme media vehicles. While an augmentation media system provides a seamlessly integrated environment of various tools and documents, meme media system provides further functions to edit and distribute tools and documents. Documents and tools on meme media can easily…

  11. INTEGRATION OF MEANS OF MEDIA EDUCATION IN TEACHING THE UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE (FOR PROFESSIONAL DIRECTION TO FUTURE TEACHERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larysa M. Derkach

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The article considers possibilities of integration of some Media Literacy topics with the Ukrainian Language curriculum topics (the Ukrainian Language is viewed here as an academic discipline for professional direction. Different possibilities of the use of certain Media Literacy topics during the Ukrainian Language classes are analyzed. Efficiency of such integration is investigated. It is proved that due to integration students learn skills that help them to understand and evaluate complex messages they receive from mass media, identify bias, misinformation and lies, and recognize what the media maker wants them to believe or do. Research results show that integration of Media Literacy with the Ukrainian Language as an academic discipline facilitates better understanding of media messages and prevents manipulation of students’ consciousness.

  12. Social Media Use, Friendship Quality, and the Moderating Role of Anxiety in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Schalkwyk, Gerrit I; Marin, Carla E; Ortiz, Mayra; Rolison, Max; Qayyum, Zheala; McPartland, James C; Lebowitz, Eli R; Volkmar, Fred R; Silverman, Wendy K

    2017-09-01

    Social media holds promise as a technology to facilitate social engagement, but may displace offline social activities. Adolescents with ASD are well suited to capitalize on the unique features of social media, which requires less decoding of complex social information. In this cross-sectional study, we assessed social media use, anxiety and friendship quality in 44 adolescents with ASD, and 56 clinical comparison controls. Social media use was significantly associated with high friendship quality in adolescents with ASD, which was moderated by the adolescents' anxiety levels. No associations were founds between social media use, anxiety and friendship quality in the controls. Social media may be a way for adolescents with ASD without significant anxiety to improve the quality of their friendships.

  13. Specialist Teams Needed to Support Youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mellin, Laurel M.

    1991-01-01

    Presents seven reasons why it is important for health specialist teams to take action supporting the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. The article offers guidelines to help parents assist their children in maintaining positive eating, exercise, and self-esteem patterns, noting sensitive intervention is preferable to imposed diets. (SM)

  14. Clinical Nurse Specialists Guide Staff Nurses to Promote Practice Accountability Through Peer Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semper, Julie; Halvorson, Betty; Hersh, Mary; Torres, Clare; Lillington, Linda

    2016-01-01

    The aim of the study was to describe the clinical nurse specialist role in developing and implementing a staff nurse education program to promote practice accountability using peer review principles. Peer review is essential for professional nursing practice demanding a significant culture change. Clinical nurse specialists in a Magnet-designated community hospital were charged with developing a staff nurse peer review education program. Peer review is a recognized mechanism of professional self-regulation to ensure delivery of quality care. The American Nurses Association strongly urges incorporating peer review in professional nursing practice models. Clinical nurse specialists play a critical role in educating staff nurses about practice accountability. Clinical nurse specialists developed an education program guided by the American Nurses Association's principles of peer review. A baseline needs assessment identified potential barriers and learning needs. Content incorporated tools and strategies to build communication skills, collaboration, practice change, and peer accountability. The education program resulted in increased staff nurse knowledge about peer review and application of peer review principles in practice. Clinical nurse specialists played a critical role in helping staff nurses understand peer review and its application to practice. The clinical nurse specialist role will continue to be important in sustaining the application of peer review principles in practice.

  15. The Path to Advanced Practice Licensure for Clinical Nurse Specialists in Washington State.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoonover, Heather

    The aim of this study was to provide a review of the history and process to obtaining advanced practice licensure for clinical nurse specialists in Washington State. Before 2016, Washington State licensed certified nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and certified nurse anesthetists under the designation of an advanced registered nurse practitioner; however, the state did not recognize clinical nurse specialists as advanced practice nurses. The work to drive the rule change began in 2007. The Washington Affiliate of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists used the Power Elite Theory to guide advocacy activities, building coalitions and support for the desired rule changes. On January 8, 2016, the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission voted to amend the state's advanced practice rules, including clinical nurse specialists in the designation of an advanced practice nurse. Since the rule revision, clinical nurse specialists in Washington State have been granted advanced registered nurse practitioner licenses. Driving changes in state regulatory rules requires diligent advocacy, partnership, and a deep understanding of the state's rule-making processes. To be successful in changing rules, clinical nurse specialists must build strong partnerships with key influencers and understand the steps in practice required to make the desired changes.

  16. Management of Nonceliac Gluten Sensitivity by Gastroenterology Specialists: Data from an Italian Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federica Branchi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aim. Nonceliac gluten sensitivity is syndrome characterized by symptoms disappearing after a gluten-free diet. Its existence is still argument of discussion among specialists. Our aim was to evaluate the knowledge about nonceliac gluten sensitivity among gastroenterology specialists. Methods. During October 2013 a questionnaire was sent through a medical newsletter to Italian gastroenterologists. Twelve questions investigated their knowledge on nonceliac gluten sensitivity, including their diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Results. A total of 212 gastroenterologists filled in the questionnaire. The 98.6% were aware of the existence of a syndrome called “nonceliac gluten sensitivity” and 77% believe in its existence. However, only 56% gave a correct definition of the term. The majority of specialists diagnosed gluten sensitive patients and the number of diagnoses was not statistically different from that of celiac disease. Moreover, a gluten-free diet was prescribed by 64% of the specialists and among them the 73% noted an increase of gluten sensitive patients attending their outpatient services. Conclusions. Our study indicated that most of the specialists recognize nonceliac gluten sensitivity and prescribe gluten-free diet, although 44% of the specialists are not able to give its correct definition; underlining the necessity of medical education on this topic is needed.

  17. [Beginners' operations and medical specialist standards : Avoidance of criminal liability and civil liability].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, H

    2018-05-16

    In all phases, patients are entitled to receive medical treatment according to medical specialist standards. This does not mean that patients necessarily have to be treated by a medical specialist. Operations performed by "beginners", e. g. assistant physicians, are permitted. However, there are increased liability risks, both for the specialist and the assistant physician. Furthermore, there are risks of criminal responsibility for causing bodily harm by negligence or negligent manslaughter. This article portrays the requirements of civil liability and criminal responsibility concerning beginners' operations on the basis of cases and judgments of the Federal Court and the Higher Regional Courts in Germany. Additionally, the reception of the jurisprudence by the relevant legal literature will be discussed. Jurisprudence and legal literature categorize breaches of duty of care. Assistant physicians can be subject to contributory negligence liabilities, while specialists can bear liabilities for negligent selection, organization or supervision. Responsible specialist and assistant physicians can protect themselves (and the patient) and avoid legal risks by only performing operations adequate to their educational level or by delegating operations to beginners and ensuring intervention by a specialist by supervision of the operation which is suitable to the assistant physician's level of education.

  18. Social media management and media environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Šiđanin Iva

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with the system of services that social media management can offer to a variety of users. As social media systems are emerging, social media management can strengthen teams in social media and help to manage numerous social channels and distribution of social information from one place. Social media management is a system of procedures that are used to manage the flow of information in the environment of social media. This involves connecting with social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Ecademy, YouTube and many others, then the aggregation and management of social data. Social media management services are analysed through various fields, such as managing multiple social media profiles, mail scheduling and filtering, reporting and analytics. Social media management enables managing personal business through social media, which contributes to a significant reduction in expenditures. The paper also discusses the importance of social media management in marketing activities and various forms of social promotion, which allow companies to easily reach their customers.

  19. Community-Sourcing a New Marketing Course: Collaboration in Social Media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schirr, Gary R.

    2013-01-01

    This paper shows the value of an online personal learning network or community in educational innovation. It shows how theories and best practices from service and product innovation, as well the theories of learning communities, were applied using social media to facilitate the grant proposal and course development processes for a new course in…

  20. Do specialists exit the firm outsourcing its R&D?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Wenjing

    Do specialists exit the firm increasingly outsourcing its research and development (R&D) work? Although this question is critical in understanding how R&D outsourcing links to innovation performance, the answer is not yet clear. This paper proposes that the optimal level of firm's internal...... employment of R&D specialists decreases with the deepening of R&D outsourcing but increases with the broadening of R&D outsourcing. These relations can be inferred from previous empirical studies as well as our theoretical analysis, and are supported by the empirical evidence from estimations of correlated...

  1. Framing the Refugee Crisis in Online Media: A Romanian Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicoleta Corbu

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The European Union (EU is under severe pressure, due to the multiple crises it has to manage. Among them, the refugee crisis is remarkable, since it is shaking both the individual member states and the EU as a whole. The media coverage of the refugee crisis is important because the media still are the main source of information concerning distant issues (the refugee crisis included, and as such it facilitates people’s access to social reality. Using the perspective of agenda-setting and the conceptual background of framing theory, we aim to (1 identify the most prominent frames online media employ with reference to the refugee crisis, and (2 reveal the tone of voice online media use when portraying issues related to this crisis. To achieve these two goals, we content analyzed 1493 online news articles, published between April 15, 2015 and February 29, 2016. Main findings show that online media outlets mainly refer to the refugee crisis in terms of responsibility and conflict, in this order of prominence. At the same time, online media portals prefer using a reasonably balanced viewpoint when portraying the refugees, and a slightly negative one in terms of attitudes towards the European Union.

  2. IT Security Specialist | IDRC - International Development Research ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    The IT Security Specialist takes a strategic role in the delivery of Infrastructure ... on IT Security to project managers, business clients and senior management. ... as a team member or a team leader by undertaking research, investigations, ...

  3. CAMPAIGN JOURNALISM ON ROMANIAN TELEVISIONS: TOWARDS A NORMATIVE VIEW OF ADVOCACY IN THE MEDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    IRINA DIANA MĂDROANE

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Advocacy media campaigns, staged by Romanian television channels and focused on changing social policies, have gained increasing visibility in the Romanian public sphere. The article examines models of journalism and normative theories about the role of the press in a democracy in order to carve out a normative position from which this emerging media format can be analysed. It situates media advocacy within the frame of interpretive journalism, aimed both at facilitating democratic debate and citizen participation (civic journalism, and at social reform (radical journalism. The reassessment of media strategies based on emotions and interpretation as mediators of social reality may lead to a positive, ‘optimistic’ view of campaign journalism. However, the advanced commercialisation of the media and the struggles for political representation interfere with and make the task of socially responsible journalism an incredibly challenging one

  4. A novel statistical method for classifying habitat generalists and specialists

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chazdon, Robin L; Chao, Anne; Colwell, Robert K

    2011-01-01

    in second-growth (SG) and old-growth (OG) rain forests in the Caribbean lowlands of northeastern Costa Rica. We evaluate the multinomial model in detail for the tree data set. Our results for birds were highly concordant with a previous nonstatistical classification, but our method classified a higher......: (1) generalist; (2) habitat A specialist; (3) habitat B specialist; and (4) too rare to classify with confidence. We illustrate our multinomial classification method using two contrasting data sets: (1) bird abundance in woodland and heath habitats in southeastern Australia and (2) tree abundance...... fraction (57.7%) of bird species with statistical confidence. Based on a conservative specialization threshold and adjustment for multiple comparisons, 64.4% of tree species in the full sample were too rare to classify with confidence. Among the species classified, OG specialists constituted the largest...

  5. Sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction among specialists within the public and private health sectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashton, Toni; Brown, Paul; Sopina, Elizaveta; Cameron, Linda; Tenbensel, Timothy; Windsor, John

    2013-09-27

    As in many countries, medical and surgical specialists in New Zealand have the opportunity of working in the public sector, the private sector or both. This study aimed to explore the level and sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction of specialists in New Zealand with working in the two sectors. Such information can assist workforce planning, management and policy and may inform the wider debate about the relationship between the two sectors. A postal survey was conducted of 1983 registered specialists throughout New Zealand. Respondents were asked to assess 14 sources of satisfaction and 9 sources of dissatisfaction according to a 5-point Likert scale. Means and standard deviations were calculated for the total sample, and for procedural and non-procedural specialties. Differences between the means of each source of satisfaction and dissatisfaction were also calculated. Completed surveys were received from 943 specialists (47% response rate). Overall mean levels of satisfaction were higher in the private sector than the public sector while levels of dissatisfaction were lower. While the public system is valued for its opportunities for further education and professional development, key sources of dissatisfaction are workload pressures, mentally demanding work and managerial interference. In the private sector specialists value the opportunity to work independently and apply their own ideas in the workplace. Sources of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction amongst specialists are different for the public and private sectors. Allowing specialists more freedom to work independently and to apply their own ideas in the workplace may enhance recruitment and retention of specialists in the public health system.

  6. Commissioning of specialist palliative care services in England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lancaster, Harriet; Finlay, Ilora; Downman, Maxwell; Dumas, James

    2018-03-01

    Some failures in end-of-life care have been attributed to inconsistent provision of palliative care across England. We aimed to explore the variation in commissioning of services by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) using a data collection exercise. We sent a Freedom of Information request in the form of an open questionnaire to all 209 CCGs in England to assess their commissioning of palliative and end-of-life care services, mainly focused on the provision of specialist palliative care services. 29 CCGs provided information about the number of patients with some form of palliative care needs in their population. For specialist palliative care services, CCGs allocated budgets ranging from £51.83 to £2329.19 per patient per annum. 163 CCGs (77.90%) currently commission 7-day admission to their specialist palliative care beds. 82.84% of CCGs commission 7-day specialist palliative care services in patients' own homes and out-of-hours services rely heavily on hospice provision. 64 CCGs (31.37%) commission pain control teams, the majority of whom only operate in regular working hours. 68.14% of CCGs reported commissioning palliative care education of any sort for healthcare professionals and 44.85% of CCGs had no plans to update or review their palliative care services. The most important finding from this exercise is that the information CCGs hold about their population and services is not standardised. However, information based on data that are more objective, for example, population and total budget for palliative care, demonstrate wide variations in commissioning. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  7. Participation in Social Media as Academic Service (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, D. J.

    2013-12-01

    We are all familiar with the three-legged stool of standard academic practice -- research, teaching, and service -- especially as it pertains to promotion and tenure. For example, many studies are emerging on the various ways that social media can be effectively used in teaching at all levels. Researchers are using analytical tools to turn social media feeds into useful indicators of human pattern and process. Darling et al. (2013) investigate the usefulness of Twitter for the development and distribution of scientific knowledge, including within the life cycle of scientific publication. However, the author focuses here on the use of social media as related to the traditional forms of academic "service:" i.e., participation on a committee or a board, in strategic planning or development of programs, in coordination of a seminar series or workshop, in professional reviews of books, papers, proposals, delivery of a public lectures to a civic group, giving an interview to a journalist on one's research or practice, even providing testimony to a group of policymakers. The author shares personal and institutional/organizational perspectives on how appropriate social media interaction in this context, can be viewed as a necessary (even daily) part of professional practice, and thus yet another moniker of good scientific behavior (especially as a model for students and early-career faculty), and of the "gift culture" of scholarship. For example, the "live tweeting" of ideas and summary points from paper sessions at scholarly meetings is gaining popularity, especially to inform those who could not attend. Other modes of contribution to intellectual communities range from advertising calls for special issues, proposals, participation in specialists meetings, to showcasing the real-time effects of natural disasters via social media feeds embedded in maps. Indeed, there is much discussion of "innovation" in research and in teaching, but can the speed and structure of social

  8. Genetic architecture of pollination syndrome transition between hummingbird-specialist and generalist species in the genus Rhytidophyllum (Gesneriaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hermine Alexandre

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Adaptation to pollinators is a key factor of diversification in angiosperms. The Caribbean sister genera Rhytidophyllum and Gesneria present an important diversification of floral characters. Most of their species can be divided in two major pollination syndromes. Large-open flowers with pale colours and great amount of nectar represent the generalist syndrome, while the hummingbird-specialist syndrome corresponds to red tubular flowers with a less important nectar volume. Repeated convergent evolution toward the generalist syndrome in this group suggests that such transitions rely on few genes of moderate to large effect. To test this hypothesis, we built a linkage map and performed a QTL detection for divergent pollination syndrome traits by crossing one specimen of the generalist species Rhytidophyllum auriculatum with one specimen of the hummingbird pollinated R. rupincola. Using geometric morphometrics and univariate traits measurements, we found that floral shape among the second-generation hybrids is correlated with morphological variation observed between generalist and hummingbird-specialist species at the genus level. The QTL analysis showed that colour and nectar volume variation between syndromes involve each one major QTL while floral shape has a more complex genetic basis and rely on few genes of moderate effect. Finally, we did not detect any genetic linkage between the QTLs underlying those traits. This genetic independence of traits could have facilitated evolution toward optimal syndromes.

  9. Safety in online media – freedom of the media; safety of media actors and media education

    OpenAIRE

    Moeller, Ch

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, prepared for the international conference ‘Mass Media – Society – Education: Media Safety Problems’ at the Chelyabinsk State University’s Department for Journalism and Media Education from September 30 – October 3, 2013, I would like to address three dimensions of media safety and security in online media.

  10. Colloid-facilitated radionuclide transport in the fractured rock: effects of decay chain and limited matrix diffusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, J. B.; Park, J. W.; Lee, E. Y.; Kim, C. R.

    2002-01-01

    Colloid-facilitated radionuclide transport in the fractured rock is studies by considering radioactive decay chain and limited matrix diffusion into surrounding porous media. Semi-analytical solution in the Laplace domain is obtained from the mass balance equation of radionuclides and colloid particles. Numerical inversion of the Laplace solution is used to get the concentration profiles both in a fracture and in rock matrix. There issues are analyzed for the radionuclide concentration in a fracture by 1) formation constant of pseudo-colloid, 2) filtration coefficient of radio-colloid and 3) effective diffusion depth into the surrounding porous rock media

  11. Personalizing protocol-driven care: the case of specialist heart failure nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, Tom; Harrison, Stephen; Checkland, Katherine

    2010-09-01

    This paper is a report of a study conducted to explore how specialist heart failure nurses negotiate treatment advice with patients, in the context of an increasing expectation that clinical staff in the National Health Services will follow guidelines in their daily work. The development of specialist nurse roles has given rise to questions about their compatibility with patient-centred care. However, research has revealed little about how specialist nurses balance clinical guidelines with traditional caring tasks. Semi-structured interviews (n = 10) were conducted with specialist heart failure nurses in northern England recruited from a heart failure specialist nursing contact list. In addition, non-participant observations were carried out on nurse-patient consultations (n = 16) in one regional nurse-led heart failure clinic. Data were collected between 2003 and 2005, and analysed using a variation of grounded theory. Heart failure nurses sought to combine traditional caring work with the wider goal of improving patient outcomes by 'personalizing' their advice to patients and presenting their heart failure as 'typical'. They accommodated protocol-driven care into their daily routines, and perceived no disjuncture between evidence-based practice and patient-centredness. However, their approach allowed little space for the exploration of each patient's own priorities about their illness. There is a need both to re-examine the appropriateness of traditional caring concepts, and to reflect on the need to incorporate patients' own values into the consultation process.

  12. The Role of Social Media for Collaborative Learning to Improve Academic Performance of Students and Researchers in Malaysian Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Rahmi, Waleed Mugahed; Othman, Mohd Shahizan; Yusuf, Lizawati Mi

    2015-01-01

    Social media is widely considered to improve collaborative learning among students and researchers. However, there is a surprising lack of empirical research in Malaysian higher education to improve performance of students and researchers through the effective use of social media that facilitates desirable outcomes. Thus, this study offers a…

  13. Social media use and educational preferences among first-year pharmacy students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clauson, Kevin A; Singh-Franco, Devada; Sircar-Ramsewak, Feroza; Joseph, Shine; Sandars, John

    2013-01-01

    Social media may offer a means to engage students, facilitate collaborative learning, and tailor educational delivery for diverse learning styles. The purpose of this study is to characterize social media awareness among pharmacy students and determine perceptions toward integrating these tools in education. A 23-item survey was administered to 1st-year students at a multicampus college of pharmacy. Students (95% response rate; N = 196) most commonly used wikis (97%), social networking (91%), and videosharing (84%). Tools reported as never used or unknown included social bookmarking (89%), collaborative writing (84%), and RSS readers (73%). Respondents indicated that educational integration of social media would impact their ability to learn in a positive/very positive manner (75%) and make them feel connected/very connected (68%). Selectively targeting social media for educational integration and instructing pharmacy students how to employ a subset of these tools may be useful in engaging them and encouraging lifelong learning.

  14. The role of specialist nurses in multiple sclerosis: a rapid and systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Broe, S; Christopher, F; Waugh, N

    2001-01-01

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system. The cause is unknown. There are about 80-160 people with MS per 100,000 population, with twice as many women affected as men. The management of individuals with MS includes treatment of acute relapses and chronic symptoms. The care of MS patients is provided by various healthcare professionals, such as general practitioners (GPs), neurologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and nurses. Some MS patients have access to an MS specialist nurse, although this provision varies geographically. The aim of this report is to assess the effectiveness and relative cost-effectiveness of MS specialist nurses in improving care and outcomes for patients with MS. A systematic review of the literature, involving a range of databases, was performed. Full details are described in the main report. Only one study was identified that tried to evaluate the benefit of MS specialist nurses. The study concluded that MS patients and their carers found the MS specialist nurse to be helpful, particularly in improving their knowledge of MS, ability to cope, mood and confidence about the future. GPs also reported finding the nurse to be helpful with their MS patients, and 40% of the GPs stated they would purchase the services of an MS specialist nurse if their practices became fundholding. However, there were considerable methodological weaknesses inherent in the study design, and it was unclear whether the results of the study could be extrapolated to other settings or to other MS patient groups. RESULTS - ONGOING RESEARCH: There are two ongoing research studies regarding MS specialist nurses. One of these studies involves the provision of MS nurses to several areas, but also has two control populations to allow evaluation of the health benefits of the nurses to MS patients and their carers. This study will help to fill the evidence gap. RESULTS - COSTS: The costs of providing MS specialist nurses consist of their

  15. Use of social media to circumvent sales and advertising ban of electronic cigarettes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murat Güner

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background There are no legal electronic cigarette products available in Turkey. According to the law whether including tobacco or not products that resemble tobacco products can not be advertised, promoted and sold through internet.However the use of electronic cigarettes are frequently observed. This study was carried out in order to find out the sales outlet and advertising media of the publicly available products. Methods Internet search of the key words "e-cigarettes and electronic cigarettes" in Turkish language was carried out . The survey of the forum and websites identified were further analyzed to detect the presence of advertising, promotion and trading elements. Results There were 94 websites and one social forum with 69,354 members on electronic cigarettes in Turkish language. Of the websites 95 % had advertising and facilitated online sales. Social media forum had a section for beginners which was accessible by non-member, containing information about the device, liquids and usage. Under the heading" starter kit for beginners" 143 brands were promoted. The suppliers were introduced under 74 headings and 44774 messages. 25 suppliers sold e-cigarettes through the forum by 221 various advertising. Online shopping section was consisted of 1990 topics and 179.100 messages. The forum also facilitated exchange of products between members, as well as international sales without customs. All the websites had Turkish domain names and used regular shipping companies for the delivery of the products. The social media forum had an international hosting. Advertising contained false claims about the safety of the products referring to reputable international organizations.Social media forum provided home-made recipes and the names and adresses of chemical supplier companies. Conclusions Social media was extensively used for the sale and advertising of electronic cigarettes that were not licenced in Turkey. Laws need to be enforced not only in

  16. Anthropogenic Habitats Facilitate Dispersal of an Early Successional Obligate: Implications for Restoration of an Endangered Ecosystem.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katrina E Amaral

    Full Text Available Landscape modification and habitat fragmentation disrupt the connectivity of natural landscapes, with major consequences for biodiversity. Species that require patchily distributed habitats, such as those that specialize on early successional ecosystems, must disperse through a landscape matrix with unsuitable habitat types. We evaluated landscape effects on dispersal of an early successional obligate, the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis. Using a landscape genetics approach, we identified barriers and facilitators of gene flow and connectivity corridors for a population of cottontails in the northeastern United States. We modeled dispersal in relation to landscape structure and composition and tested hypotheses about the influence of habitat fragmentation on gene flow. Anthropogenic and natural shrubland habitats facilitated gene flow, while the remainder of the matrix, particularly development and forest, impeded gene flow. The relative influence of matrix habitats differed between study areas in relation to a fragmentation gradient. Barrier features had higher explanatory power in the more fragmented site, while facilitating features were important in the less fragmented site. Landscape models that included a simultaneous barrier and facilitating effect of roads had higher explanatory power than models that considered either effect separately, supporting the hypothesis that roads act as both barriers and facilitators at all spatial scales. The inclusion of LiDAR-identified shrubland habitat improved the fit of our facilitator models. Corridor analyses using circuit and least cost path approaches revealed the importance of anthropogenic, linear features for restoring connectivity between the study areas. In fragmented landscapes, human-modified habitats may enhance functional connectivity by providing suitable dispersal conduits for early successional specialists.

  17. The role of content marketing in social media content communities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charmaine du Plessis

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Content marketing has become a leading marketing technique in digital marketing communication and uses the point of view of consumers to build relationships by creating and sharing engaging content in social media that enhance their daily lives. Existing research on social media communities has focused mainly on social media marketing and virtual brand community perspectives while content marketing’s valuable and unobtrusive role in social media content communities has largely been overlooked. Objective: The purpose of this article was to investigate content marketing’s role in social media content communities to engage with the target audience in an innate manner. Method: This study made use of a directed, inductive content analysis of 51 practitioner documents relating to business-to-consumer content marketing practices to add another perspective to existing research on communities in social media. The content analysis was facilitated by using QDA Miner, a widely adopted and reliable qualitative data analysis software programme. Results: Three categories emerged from the data namely building content communities, platform-specific content and understanding channels. These categories provide sufficient evidence of how brands make use of social media content communities to connect with the target audience in an unobtrusive manner, in addition to being present in virtual brand communities. Conclusion: The findings make several contributions to the existing literature. Firstly, it provides a clearer distinction between brand and social media content communities. Secondly, it extends conceptions about social media communities to include content communities and, thirdly, it provides sufficient evidence of how content marketing could benefit a brand by naturally becoming part of social media conversations.

  18. The use of Social Media in Health Systems: Opportunities and challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hasan Ashrafi-rizi

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Social media is the result of web 2.0 which refers to technologies that provide the possibility of user’s participation in content creation, sharing information (1, expressing experiences, ideas and thoughts (2 and facilitating communication (3. Social media is frequently and increasingly used in different fields, especially in health (4, 5. This is likely due to the individual abilities of these media to improve the people and organizations’ performance compared to other media (6. According to Media Richness Theory, the best media is the one that has the capacity of transferring multiple media, such as audio, video and text simultaneously, for transferring messages including health massages (4. Mass media has fewer capabilities compared with social media, because mass media has many limitations on personal communication with the audience and getting immediate feedbacks (7, 8. But social media can have more influence on changing attitudes and health behaviors due to the capabilities and facilities, if selected appropriately. These media can have effective roles in different areas in health systems, for example: 1. Research. Including: review of health texts (9, creating a sense of ownership for user-generated content, improved sharing of health information (1, 2, expanding production of science (8, and enhancing research capabilities of researchers. 2. Education. Including: developing individual and social creativity (7, providing equal opportunities for all people to learn, a place to discuss about hot topics (10, getting feedback from other participants, increasing social competence identifying the youth (8, developing general knowledge in health field (4 improving the people’s health (7, and providing better education in clinical departments. 3. Health Information Services. Including: facilitating access to information (6, gathering and disseminating health news (8, increasing public health information such as nutrition, transferring

  19. Media Literacy in Times of Media Divides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaja Žuran

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available We live in a post-modern society, an information society, a society based around knowledge and participation, and above all in a media society. In a media culture where media holds a dominant position, we cannot overlook the emerging idea of a ‘media divide’ within the frame of media education, media literate individuals and the expansion of the traditional concept of media literacy. Firstly, we are in an era of technological revolution, and it is time to consider the meaning and function of media and how we experience it in our everyday life. Secondly, as a society we are subject to intense media invasion and we all need to learn how to use it to our benefit and apply a critical and autonomous perspective towards selecting media content. Otherwise the media divide between the media literate and illiterate will widen; but is there even a chance to overcome the supposed divide between those who are formally media educated and those who are not?

  20. Primary care physician management, referral, and relations with specialists concerning patients at risk for cancer due to family history.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, M E; Flynn, B S; Stockdale, A

    2013-01-01

    Risk stratification based on family history is a feature of screening guidelines for a number of cancers and referral guidelines for genetic counseling/testing for cancer risk. Our aim was to describe primary care physician perceptions of their role in managing cancer risk based on family history. Structured interviews were conducted by a medical anthropologist with primary care physicians in 3 settings in 2 north-eastern states. Transcripts were systematically analyzed by a research team to identify major themes expressed by participants. Forty interviews were conducted from May 2003 through May 2006. Physicians provided a diversity of views on roles in management of cancer risk based on family history, management practices and patient responses to risk information. They also provided a wide range of perspectives on criteria used for referral to specialists, types of specialists referred to and expected management roles for referred patients. Some primary care physicians appeared to make effective use of family history information for cancer risk management, but many in this sample did not. Increased focus on efficient assessment tools based on recognized guidelines, accessible guides to management options, and patient education and decision aids may be useful directions to facilitate broader use of family history information for cancer risk management. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  1. Enhance Your Science With Social Media: No ... Really

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goss, H.; Aiken, A. C.; Sams, A.

    2016-12-01

    The ability to communicate the societal value of basic research to nonacademic audiences is morphing from an optional soft skill to a crucial tool for scientists who are competing over finite or shrinking resources for research. Former National Academy of Sciences President Ralph Cicerone argued as early as 2006 that "scientists themselves must do a better job of communicating directly to the public," taking advantage of "new, non-traditional outlets" on the Internet. Findings suggest that scientists have begun to embrace social media as a viable tool for communicating research and keeping abreast of advancements in their fields. Social media is changing the way that scientists are interacting with each other and with the global community. Scientists are taking to popular social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) to challenge weak research, share replication attempts in real time, and counteract hype. Incorporating social media into the different stages of a scientific publication: Accelerates the pace of scientific communication and collaboration Facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration Makes it possible to communicate results to a large and diverse audience Encourages post-publication conversations about findings Accelerates research evaluation Makes science more transparent Amplifies the positive effects of scientists' interactions with more traditional media Our presentation will demonstrate how scientists can use social media as a tool to support their work, collaborate with peers around the world, and advance the cause of science. Information will be presented by communications experts and research librarians in collaboration with scientists who are already active on social media. Content will focus on pragmatic best practices for engaging peers, other stakeholders, promoting science and scientific research, and measuring success.

  2. Adult orthodontics in the Republic of Ireland: specialist orthodontists' opinions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMorrow, Siobhán Mary; Millett, Declan T

    2017-12-01

    To report the opinions of specialist orthodontists regarding the profile, characteristics and treatment of adults currently undergoing orthodontic treatment in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) Design/setting: A national cross-sectional questionnaire study in the ROI. A pilot-tested questionnaire was distributed to 122 specialist orthodontists in the ROI. Questions addressed general and treatment information for current adult orthodontic patients. Those whose treatment involved orthognathic surgery were not excluded. A response of 83% was obtained. Ninety-five per cent of specialists reported treating adults, most of whom were self-referred and were typically professional, female and aged 25-35 years. The overall ratio quoted of professionals to non-professionals was almost 3:2. For 50% of specialists, males were estimated to account for 20-40% of their adult cases and for 23%, this increased to an estimated 40-60%. Class II division 1 malocclusion and skeletal II were considered the most common dentofacial characteristics. Occlusal features encountered in decreasing frequency were generalised crowding, increased overjet, deep overbite, late lower incisor crowding, spacing and impacted teeth. Fifteen per cent reported that at least 10% of their adult cases required orthodontics with maxillofacial surgery but 8% reported that this was at least 50%. Treatment challenges commonly acknowledged were overbite reduction, anchorage management, 'black triangles' and overjet reduction. Tooth whitening was reckoned to be used by 19% of specialists. Aesthetic upper and stainless steel lower brackets were indicated to be used most often whereas only 19% used clear aligners and 10% used lingual appliances often. The profile and characteristics of adults currently undergoing orthodontic treatment in the ROI were diverse. Higher estimates were quoted for self- than for general dental practitioner-referral. A high percentage of treatment was reported to be undertaken for non

  3. The impact of specialist trauma service on major trauma mortality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Ting Hway; Lumsdaine, William; Hardy, Benjamin M; Lee, Keegan; Balogh, Zsolt J

    2013-03-01

    Trauma services throughout the world have had positive effects on trauma-related mortality. Australian trauma services are generally more consultative in nature rather than the North American model of full trauma admission service. We hypothesized that the introduction of a consultative specialist trauma service in a Level I Australian trauma center would reduce mortality of the severely injured. A 10-year retrospective study (January 1, 2002-December 31, 2011) was performed on all trauma patients admitted with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15. Patients were identified from the trauma registry, and data for age, sex, mechanism of injury, ISS, survival to discharge, and length of stay were collected. Mortality was examined for patients with severe injury (ISS > 15) and patients with critical injury (ISS > 24) and compared for the three periods: 2002-2004 (without trauma specialist), 2005-2007 (with trauma specialist), and 2008-2011 (with specialist trauma service). A total of 3,869 severely injured (ISS > 15) trauma patients were identified during the 10-year period. Of these, 2,826 (73%) were male, 1,513 (39%) were critically injured (ISS > 24), and more than 97% (3,754) were the victim of blunt trauma. Overall mortality decreased from 12.4% to 9.3% (relative risk, 0.75) from period one to period three and from 25.4% to 20.3% (relative risk, 0.80) for patients with critical injury. A 0.46% per year decrease (p = 0.018) in mortality was detected (odds ratio, 0.63; p 24), the trend was (0.61% per year; odds ratio, 0.68; p = 0.039). The introduction of a specialist trauma service decreased the mortality of patients with severe injury, the model of care should be considered to implement state- and nationwide in Australia. Epidemiologic study, level III.

  4. Entomology Specialist 1-1. Military Curriculum Materials for Vocational and Technical Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Jimmie L.

    This individualized, self-paced course for training an entomology specialist was adapted from military curriculum materials for use in vocational and technical education. Completion of the course should provide students with basic information needed to accomplish the following duties of an entomology specialist: perform entomological work, apply…

  5. A diabetes management mentor program: outcomes of a clinical nurse specialist initiative to empower staff nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Modic, Mary Beth; Canfield, Christina; Kaser, Nancy; Sauvey, Rebecca; Kukla, Aniko

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this project was to enhance the knowledge of the bedside nurse in diabetes management. A forum for ongoing support and exploration of clinical problems, along with the distribution of educational tools were the components of this program. Diabetes accounts for 30% of patients admitted to the hospital. It has become more challenging to manage as the treatment choices have increased. There are a number of researchers who have identified nurse and physician knowledge of diabetes management principles as suboptimal. DESCRIPTION OF THE INNOVATION: Staff nurses are educated for a role as a Diabetes Management Mentor and are expected to educate/dialogue with peers monthly, model advocacy and diabetes patient education skills, facilitate referrals for diabetes education, and direct staff to resources for diabetes management. Diabetes Management Mentors feel more confident in their knowledge of diabetes and their ability to resolve clinical issues as they arise. The Diabetes Management Mentor role is another avenue for nurses to refine their clinical knowledge base and acquire skills to share with colleagues while remaining at the bedside. The clinical nurse specialist is expertly prepared to foster the professional development of bedside nurses while simultaneously making a positive impact on disease management. Opportunity for future investigation includes efficacy of teaching tools on diabetes mastery, the effect of clinical nurse specialist mentoring on a select group of bedside nurses, and the Diabetes Management Mentor's impact on prevention of near-miss events.

  6. Asthma management in a specialist setting: Results of an Italian Respiratory Society survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braido, Fulvio; Baiardini, Ilaria; Alleri, Pietro; Bacci, Elena; Barbetta, Carlo; Bellocchia, Michela; Benfante, Alida; Blasi, Francesco; Bucca, Caterina; Busceti, Maria Teresa; Centanni, Stefano; Colanardi, Maria Cristina; Contoli, Marco; Corsico, Angelo; D'Amato, Maria; Di Marco, Fabiano; Marco, Dottorini; Ferrari, Marta; Florio, Giovanni; Fois, Alessandro Giuseppe; Foschino Barbaro, Maria Pia; Silvia, Garuti; Girbino, Giuseppe; Grosso, Amelia; Latorre, Manuela; Maniscalco, Sara; Mazza, Francesco; Mereu, Carlo; Molinengo, Giorgia; Ora, Josuel; Paggiaro, Pierluigi; Patella, Vincenzo; Pelaia, Girolamo; Pirina, Pietro; Proietto, Alfio; Rogliani, Paola; Santus, Pierachille; Scichilone, Nicola; Simioli, Francesca; Solidoro, Paolo; Terraneo, Silvia; Zuccon, Umberto; Canonica, Giorgio Walter

    2017-06-01

    Asthma considerably impairs patients' quality of life and increases healthcare costs. Severity, morbidity, and degree of disease control are the major drivers of its clinical and economic impact. National scientific societies are required to monitor the application of international guidelines and to adopt strategies to improve disease control and better allocate resources. to provide a detailed picture of the characteristics of asthma patients and modalities of asthma management by specialists in Italy and to develop recommendations for the daily management of asthma in a specialist setting. A quantitative research program was implemented. Data were collected using an ad hoc questionnaire developed by a group of specialists selected by the Italian Pneumology Society/Italian Respiratory Society. The records of 557 patients were analyzed. In the next few years, specialists are expected to focus their activity patients with more severe disease and will be responsible for selection of patients for personalized biological therapy; however, only 20% of patients attending Italian specialist surgery can be considered severe. In 84.4% of cases, the visit was a follow-up visit requested in 82.2% of cases by the specialist him/herself. The Asthma Control Test is used only in 65% of patients. When available, a significant association has been observed between the test score and asthma control as judged by the physician, although concordance was only moderate (κ = 0.68). Asthma was considered uncontrolled by the specialist managing the case in 29.1% of patients; nevertheless, treatment was not stepped up in uncontrolled or partly controlled patients (modified in only 37.2% of patients). The results of this survey support re-evaluation of asthma management by Italian specialists. More resources should be made available for the initial visit and for more severely ill patients. In addition, more extensive use should be made of validated tools, and available drugs should be used

  7. STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL MODEL OF PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE ECONOMIC SPECIALISTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zotova-Sadylo Yelena Yurievna

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Purpose The structural-functional model of professional business communication development of future economic specialists is presented by the author. Its basic components, purpose, function, principles, methods of its practical realization are characterized in the article. Methodology The considered model is aimed at providing advanced and competent levels of professional business communication / cross-cultural business communication of future specialists in economics by means of relevant to the problem special course within a system of humanitarian cycle disciplines, and integrated class hours and extracurricular activity. The main feature of the special course is its integrated character determined by the necessity to synthesize contents of humanitarian cycle disciplines for the purpose of training material comprehensive awareness. Results In this context focused professional extracurricular activity carried out in strict accordance with an overall objective of young specialist training is effective. Successful implementation of structural functional model is possible providing that integrated approach to creative specialists training by means of entire educational and extracurricular activity system.

  8. Social media monitoring of asthmatic children treated in a specialized program: Parents and caregivers expectations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marilyn Urrutia-Pereira

    2015-11-01

    Conclusion: Parents or caregivers of children attending the PIPA program expressed high interest in using social media. However, few use it to control their children’s disease. While providing a great benefit to use social media as a mean of communication in health, the content needs to be monitored for reliability and quality. The privacy of users (doctors and patients must be preserved and it is very important to facilitate the access to Internet.

  9. Treatment Algorithm of a Hypertension Specialist

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Peleška, Jan; Anger, Z.; Buchtela, David; Tomečková, Marie; Veselý, Arnošt; Zvárová, Jana

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 25, Suppl. 2 (2007), S 383-S 383 ISSN 0952-1178. [European Meeting on Hypertension /17./. 15.06.2007-19.06.2007, Milan] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET200300413 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : treatment algorithm for hypertension * hypertension specialist Subject RIV: FA - Cardiovascular Diseases incl. Cardiotharic Surgery

  10. STS-87 Mission Specialist Winston E. Scott suits up

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-01-01

    STS-87 Mission Specialist Winston Scott dons his launch and entry suit with the assistance of a suit technician in the Operations and Checkout Building. This is Scotts second space flight. He and the five other crew members will depart shortly for Launch Pad 39B, where the Space Shuttle Columbia awaits liftoff on a 16-day mission to perform microgravity and solar research. Scott is scheduled to perform an extravehicular activity spacewalk with Mission Specialist Takao Doi, Ph.D., of the National Space Development Agency of Japan, during STS-87. He also performed a spacewalk on STS-72.

  11. Liver imaging with MDCT and high concentration contrast media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spielmann, Audrey L.

    2003-01-01

    Liver imaging has advanced greatly over the last 10 years with helical CT capability and more recently the addition of multidetector-row CT (MDCT). Multidetector CT technology facilitates imaging at faster speeds with improved image quality and less breathing artifact [Abdom. Imaging 25 (2000) 643]. Exquisite three-dimensional data sets can be obtained with thin collimation providing improved lesion detection, multiplanar imaging, and the ability to perform CT angiography of the liver and mesenteric vessels. New challenges arise with this advance in technology including safety considerations. The radiation dose to the patient has increased with MDCT and this is compounded by the ability to perform multi-phase liver imaging. Furthermore, issues of contrast media administration require reconsideration including optimal timing and rate of administration, the total volume of contrast needed and the ideal iodine concentration of the contrast media. Recently, the use of high concentration contrast media (HCCM) has been explored and study results to date will be reviewed

  12. Researching intimacy through social media: A cross-platform approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina Miguel

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of how to study the way people build intimacy and manage privacy through social media interaction. It explores the research design and methodology of a research project based on a multi-sited case study composed of three different social media platforms: Badoo, CouchSurfing, and Facebook. This cross-platform approach is useful to observe how intimacy is often negotiated across different platforms. The research project focuses on the cities of Leeds (UK and Barcelona (Spain. In particular, this article discusses the methods used to recruit participants and collect data for that study - namely, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and user profiles analysis. This cross-platform approach and multi-method research design is helpful to investigate the nature of intimacy practices facilitated by social media at several levels: online/offline, across different platforms, among different types of relationships, within both new and existing relationships, and in different locations

  13. The role and organisation of community palliative specialist nursing teams in rural England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leadbeater, Maria; Staton, Wendy

    2014-11-01

    This article describes a study that used a qualitative approach, purposive sampling and semi-structured telephone interviews conducted with specialist palliative care nurses from six rural community teams in England. The study investigated how services were organised and the issues of delivering specialist palliative nursing care in a rural area. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings showed many similarities in that the majority of patients in rural areas were not accessing hospice services and there was a greater reliance on care at home. However, the challenges in delivering care ranged from managing patient expectations, geographical distance, lack of technology to support remote working and education for the specialist palliative care teams. The study makes specific recommendations for rural community specialist palliative care teams.

  14. A qualitative study of work-life balance amongst specialist orthodontists in the United Kingdom

    OpenAIRE

    Cunningham, S. J.; Bateman, L. E.; Collins, J. M.

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To identify factors affecting work-life balance amongst male and female orthodontists in the United Kingdom. Design: A qualitative interview-based study with a cross-sectional design. Subjects: Specialist orthodontists working in specialist practice and the hospital service in the United Kingdom were selected by purposive sampling. Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eighteen orthodontic specialists. Interview transcripts were analysed using Framework A...

  15. Micro Agenda Setters: The Effect of Social Media on Young Adults’ Exposure to and Attitude Toward News

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donghee Yvette Wohn

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Social media services like Facebook and Twitter are playing an increasingly large role as sources of news. This article investigates the ways the composition of social media networks affects people’s exposure to and attitude toward news. Focus groups (N = 31 and in-depth interviews (N = 15 with young adults of varying ethnicity and country of origin showed that people’s networks on social media function as micro agenda setters. The characteristics of people in one’s network can facilitate negative effects such as echo chambers and spirals of silence but can also unfold new perspectives and create awareness of topics not covered by legacy media.

  16. Evaluation of specialist referrals at a rural health care clinic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biggerstaff, Mary Ellen; Short, Nancy

    2017-07-01

    Transition to a value-based care system involves reducing costs improving population health and enhancing the patient experience. Many rural hospitals must rely on specialist referrals because of a lack of an internal system of specialists on staff. This evaluation of the existing specialist referrals from primary care was conducted to better understand and improve the referral process and address costs, population health, and the patient experience. A 6-month retrospective chart review was conducted to evaluate quality and outcomes of specialty referrals submitted by 10 primary care providers. During a 6-month period in 2015, there was a total of 13,601 primary care patient visits and 3814 referrals, a referral rate of approximately 27%. The most striking result of this review was that nearly 50% of referred patients were not making the prescribed specialist appointment. Rather than finding a large number of unnecessary referrals, we found overall referral rates higher than expected, and a large percentage of our patients were not completing their referrals. The data and patterns emerging from this investigation would guide the development of referral protocols for a newly formed accountable care organization and lead to further quality improvement projects: a LEAN effort, dissemination of results to clinical and executive staff, protocols for orthopedic and neurosurgical referrals, and recommendations for future process improvements. ©2017 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

  17. CE: Original Research: The Lived Experience of Social Media by Young Adult Burn Survivors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giordano, Marie S

    2016-08-01

    : Young adult burn survivors who were burned before they reached young adulthood (before the age of 18) face particular challenges in meeting their needs for socialization. Social media are widely used by adolescents and young adults, and permit socialization without face-to-face communication. This qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted in order to explore and describe the lived experience of social media by young adult burn survivors. Five women and four men between the ages of 20 and 25 years were interviewed; before the age of 18 years, each had sustained burns over more than 25% of their total body surface area. Van Manen's phenomenological methodology provided the study framework. Five essential themes emerged: identity, connectivity, social support, making meaning, and privacy. The participants used social media as a way to express their identity while safeguarding their privacy, and as a way to make meaning out of their traumatic experiences. Connecting with others facilitated a flow of social support and information, which was motivating and encouraging. The findings indicate that the use of social media by young adult burn survivors may be warranted as a way to further their healing processes. The knowledge gained from this study may also be useful in facilitating the development of nursing interventions aimed at preparing young adult burn survivors for reentry into society.

  18. Domestic violence and abuse: an exploration and evaluation of a domestic abuse nurse specialist role in acute health care services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGarry, Julie

    2017-08-01

    The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of clinical staff in responding to disclosure of domestic violence and abuse, and to evaluate the effectiveness of training and support provided by a dedicated Domestic Abuse Nurse Specialist across one acute National Health Service Trust in the UK. The impact of domestic violence and abuse is well documented and is far reaching. Health care professionals have a key role to play in the effective identification and management of abuse across a range of settings. However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding the constituents of effective support for practitioners within wider nonemergency hospital-based services. A qualitative approach semi-structured interviews (n = 11) with clinical staff based in one acute care Trust in the UK. Interviews were informed by an interview guide and analysed using the Framework approach. The organisation of the nurse specialist role facilitated a more cohesive approach to management at an organisational level with training and ongoing support identified as key facets of the role by practitioners. Time constraints were apparent in terms of staff training and this raises questions with regard to the status continuing professional development around domestic violence and abuse. Domestic violence and abuse continues to exert a significant and detrimental impact on the lives and health of those who encounter abuse. Health care services in the UK and globally are increasingly on the frontline in terms of identification and management of domestic violence and abuse. This is coupled with the growing recognition of the need for adequate support structures to be in place to facilitate practitioners in providing effective care for survivors of domestic violence and abuse. This study provides an approach to the expansion of existing models and one which has the potential for further exploration and application in similar settings. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Development of the Role Scenario of the Personnel Management Specialist Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stolyaruk Khrystyna S.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted of the issues of development of classification and content of role, which are performed by personnel management specialists in their professional activity. It proves a necessity of development of role scenarios under conditions of application of the competence approach in training and practical activity. Thus, the author offers five key roles in activity of a personnel management specialist, which reflect different vectors of directions of the scenario of professional activity regardless of the performed function and position. The article specifies the following roles in the offered classification: partner, expert, communicator, consultant and curator. It presents results of a sociological study, which demonstrate the degree of co-ordination of opinions of employers and practicing personnel managers with respect to performance of roles in the sphere by their professional activity by the latter. This helps to identify a number of problems, which include the problem of availability of reserves of increase of the level of competence of personnel management specialists. This issue, in its turn, closely deals with main aspects of formation of competitiveness of the said specialists, since the degree of formation of competences is the key condition of formation of competitive advantages.

  20. The Generalist versus the Specialist: The New Oxford Dictionary Reveals a Gap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levine, Martin Lyon

    1981-01-01

    There is a gap, it is suggested, separating the generally cultured person, not just from the scientist, but from specialists in many fields. Dictionary definitions are seen as one means of seeing the extent to which specialists and those in the general culture speak the same language. (MLW)

  1. Proceedings of fuel safety research specialists' meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Motoe

    2002-08-01

    Fuel Safety Research Specialists' Meeting, which was organized by Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, was held on March 4-5, 2002 at JAERI in Tokai Establishment. Purposes of the Meeting are to exchange information and views on LWR fuel safety topics among the specialist participants from domestic and foreign organizations, and to discuss the recent and future fuel research activities in JAERI. In the Meeting, presentations were given and discussions were made on general report of fuel safety research activities, fuel behaviors in normal operation and accident conditions, FP release behaviors in severe accident conditions, and JAERI's ''Advanced LWR Fuel Performance and Safety Research Program''. A poster exhibition was also carried out. The Meeting significantly contributed to planning future program and cooperation in fuel research. This proceeding integrates all the pictures and papers presented in the Meeting. The 10 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

  2. Serum-Free Media and the Immunoregulatory Properties of Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Vivo and In Vitro

    OpenAIRE

    Mei Wu; Zhi-Bo Han; Jun Feng Liu; You Wei Wang; Jian Zhong Zhang; Chun Tuan Li; Peng Liang Xin; Zhong Chao Han; Xiong Peng Zhu

    2014-01-01

    Background: Mesenchymal stem cells are capable of self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation. They are used extensively to treat several diseases. Traditionally, mesenchymal stem cells are cultured in serum-containing media, typically supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS). However, the variability of FBS is likely to skew experimental results. Although serum-free media used to expand mesenchymal stem cells has facilitated remarkable achievements, immunomodulation of these cells in un...

  3. Performance of chromogenic media for Candida in rapid presumptive identification of Candida species from clinical materials

    OpenAIRE

    Pravin Charles, M. V.; Kali, Arunava; Joseph, Noyal Mariya

    2015-01-01

    Background: In perspective of the worldwide increase in a number of immunocompromised patients, the need for identification of Candida species has become a major concern. The development of chromogenic differential media, introduced recently, facilitate rapid speciation. However, it can be employed for routine mycology workup only after an exhaustive evaluation of its benefit and cost effectiveness. This study was undertaken to evaluate the benefit and cost effectiveness of chromogenic media ...

  4. [Chronic otitis mediaChronic Otitis Media].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohles, N; Schulz, T; Eßer, D

    2015-11-01

    There are 2 different kinds of chronic otitis media: Otitis media chronica mesotympanalis and otitis media chronica epitympanalis (cholesteatoma). The incidence of chronic otitis media as reported in literature differs in a wide range. The incidence rates vary between 0.45 and 46%. Both, otitis media chronica mesotympanalis and cholesteatoma, lead to eardrum perforation due to lengthy and recurring inflammations. Furthermore, chronic otitis media is characterized by frequently recurring otorrhea and conductive hearing loss. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  5. Interventions Using Social Media for Cancer Prevention and Management: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Claire Jungyoun; Lee, Young Ji; Demiris, George

    2017-07-27

    Regarding cancer awareness, social media effectively promotes health and supports self-management. Given the diverse study designs, methodologies, and approaches of social media interventions in oncology, it is difficult to determine the effects of social media on cancer prevention and management. We aim to systematically review intervention studies using social media for cancer care. A systematic search, using 7 electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Scopus, EMBASE, and PsycINFO), was conducted to identify surveys and interventions using contemporary social media tools with a focus on cancer. Of the 18 selected studies, 7 were randomized controlled trials. Most studies were conducted for all types of cancer, and some were conducted for breast cancer in the United States, with mostly white female participants. Facebook was the most frequently used platform. Most studies targeted healthy participants providing cancer prevention education. With social media platforms as part of a larger intervention, or the main component of interventions, interventions were overall feasible and showed a significant improvement in cancer prevention and management. Social media tools have the potential to be effective in delivering interventions for cancer prevention and management. However, there was a dearth of studies with rigorous study methodologies to test social media effects on various cancer-related clinical outcomes. Social media use in cancer care will facilitate improved communication and support among patients, caregivers, and clinicians and, ultimately, improved patient care. Clinicians need to carefully harness social media to enhance patient care and clinical outcomes.

  6. Monitoring stream temperatures—A guide for non-specialists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heck, Michael P.; Schultz, Luke D.; Hockman-Wert, David; Dinger, Eric C.; Dunham, Jason B.

    2018-04-19

    Executive SummaryWater temperature influences most physical and biological processes in streams, and along with streamflows is a major driver of ecosystem processes. Collecting data to measure water temperature is therefore imperative, and relatively straightforward. Several protocols exist for collecting stream temperature data, but these are frequently directed towards specialists. This document was developed to address the need for a protocol intended for non-specialists (non-aquatic) staff. It provides specific step-by-step procedures on (1) how to launch data loggers, (2) check the factory calibration of data loggers prior to field use, (3) how to install data loggers in streams for year-round monitoring, (4) how to download and retrieve data loggers from the field, and (5) how to input project data into organizational databases.

  7. Social Media Rhetoric of the Transnational Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer Hitchcock

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This article uses rhetorical analysis to determine the effectiveness and characteristics of social media usage by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS movement targeting Israel. Hundreds of local student, community, and religious groups in the United States use social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to promote BDS discourse and organize local BDS-related events. Even though social media platforms are important for an international movement composed of a very dispersed population, with millions of Palestinians also living under military occupation, the history of traditional media use during the First Intifada also suggests that social media are not necessary for mobilizing Palestinians at the local level. A preliminary rhetorical analysis of several BDS-related Facebook pages and Twitter accounts reveals that the BDS movement’s social media usage functions similarly in some ways to other contemporary mass movements by facilitating on-the-ground actions and delivering useful information to supporters. BDS movement social media discourse, however, does not establish the same level of emotional connection or interactivity with audiences as some other recent movements have, but these limitations can be partly explained by the unique political, material, and rhetorical constraints of the situation.

  8. MediaMill: Video Search using a Thesaurus of 500 Machine Learned Concepts

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Snoek, C.G.M.; Worring, M.; Huurnink, B.; van Gemert, J.C.; van de Sande, K.E.A.; Koelma, D.C.; de Rooij, O.

    2006-01-01

    In this technical demonstration we showcase the current version of the MediaMill system, a search engine that facilitates access to news video archives at a semantic level. The core of the system is a thesaurus of 500 automatically detected semantic concepts. To handle such a large thesaurus in

  9. American specialists and SAP project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrlova, Z.

    2008-01-01

    Within the past days of November the project teams of SAP Nuclear in Slovenske elektrarne, a. s. incorporated the specialists from PSEG from New Jersey, U.S.A. The goal of their stay here was to pass on the professional experience and good practice from the implementation of quite demanding project in the nuclear power plants. We have learned more about the company and the objectives from an interview with Clay Warren, SAP Nuclear Project Manager in SE. (author)

  10. Ensemble modeling to predict habitat suitability for a large-scale disturbance specialist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quresh S. Latif; Victoria A. Saab; Jonathan G. Dudley; Jeff P. Hollenbeck

    2013-01-01

    To conserve habitat for disturbance specialist species, ecologists must identify where individuals will likely settle in newly disturbed areas. Habitat suitability models can predict which sites at new disturbances will most likely attract specialists. Without validation data from newly disturbed areas, however, the best approach for maximizing predictive accuracy can...

  11. Professional Insiders/Outsiders? Teacher Professionalism and the Primary School Physical Education Specialist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, Caroline; DinanThompson, Maree

    2013-01-01

    This paper provides a context for exploring the positioning of Physical Education specialist teachers (PE specialist teachers) in primary schools in Queensland in the discourses of teacher professionalism. A critical analysis of literature on the history and status of the subject and its practitioners aims to contextualize discourses in and about…

  12. Variation of fee-for-service specialist direct care work effort with patient overall illness burden.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, Robert

    2011-08-01

    To explore whether a common industry measure of overall patient illness burden, used to assess the total costs of members in a health plan, would be suitable to describe variation in a summary metric of utilization that assesses specialist physician direct patient care services not grouped into clinical episodes, but with exclusion criteria applied to reduce any bias in the data. Data sources/study setting Calendar year 2006 administrative data on 153,557 commercial members enrolled in a non-profit single-state statewide Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and treated by 4356 specialists in 11 specialties. The health plan's global referral process and specialist fee-for-service reimbursement likely makes these results applicable to the non-managed care setting, as once a global referral was authorized there was no required intervention by the HMO or referring primary care provider for the majority of any subsequent specialist direct clinical care. Study design Specialty-specific correlations and ordinary least-squares regression models to assess variations in specialist direct patient care work effort with patient overall illness burden, after the application of exclusion criteria to reduce potential bias in the data. Principle findings Statistically significant positive correlations exist between specialist direct patient care work effort and patient overall illness burden for all studied specialties. Regression models revealed a generally monotonic increasing relationship between illness burden categories and aggregate specialist direct patient care work effort. Almost all regression model differences from the reference category across specialties are statistically significant (P ≤ 0.012). Assessment of additional results demonstrates the relationship has more substantive significance in some specialties and less in others. The most substantive relationships in this study were found in the specialties of orthopaedic surgery, general surgery and interventional

  13. New kinships, new family formations and negotiations of intimacy via social media sites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andreassen, Rikke

    2017-01-01

    The article investigates how the technology of social media sites facilitates new kinds of intimacy and kinship. It analyses what happens when ‘donor families’ – families with children conceived via sperm donation – connect with each other online. Inspired by Lauren Berlant’s understanding...

  14. Orienting and Onboarding Clinical Nurse Specialists: A Process Improvement Project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Mayra G; Watt, Jennifer L; Falder-Saeed, Karie; Lewis, Brennan; Patton, Lindsey

    Clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) have a unique advanced practice role. This article describes a process useful in establishing a comprehensive orientation and onboarding program for a newly hired CNS. The project team used the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists core competencies as a guide to construct a process for effectively onboarding and orienting newly hired CNSs. Standardized documents were created for the orientation process including a competency checklist, needs assessment template, and professional evaluation goals. In addition, other documents were revised to streamline the orientation process. Standardizing the onboarding and orientation process has demonstrated favorable results. As of 2016, 3 CNSs have successfully been oriented and onboarded using the new process. Unique healthcare roles require special focus when onboarding and orienting into a healthcare system. The use of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists core competencies guided the project in establishing a successful orientation and onboarding process for newly hired CNSs.

  15. ICT SPECIALIST SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE – BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS AND EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miloš Maryška

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes partial results of surveys realized amongCzech universities and business units which aim has been to analyzecurrent situation in demand and supply side of ICT (Informationand Communication Technologies specialists at the labor marketin the Czech Republic. The demand and supply side are comparedthrough their requirements on knowledge of ICT specialists. Theresults present typical “product” of Czech education system inICT competencies. General conclusions show that majority ofundergraduates do not have appropriate knowledge profile to enterICT corporate business as qualified employees - ICT specialist -without further additional training. The same fact is valid for a littleless than a half of graduates at master level. During quantitativeanalysis, we have identified that at about 60 per cent of ICTspecialists did not pass a formal ICT education. These facts showlacks in ICT oriented study programs and provoke requirementon further development of ICT oriented curricula in accordance tobusiness requirements and needs.

  16. Patient seeking behaviors and online personas: social media's role in cosmetic dermatology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Nicholas A; Todd, Quintin; Saedi, Nazanin

    2015-02-01

    Social media sites, composed of providers, patients, and their social circles, facilitate health and healthcare delivery. To examine patients' perspective on social media as an information source, communication tool, and referral service through an anonymous survey. In addition, influences on patient Internet personas, an actively constructed online identity, around the time of cosmetic procedures are examined. Patients completed an anonymous institutional review board-approved survey during their initial cosmetic visit. Patients are highly active on social media using it as a multipurpose tool for physician referral services, support groups, and disease education. Patients gathered dermatology information from multiple sources, including friends, family, social media pages, and other online sources, often sharing their own experiences through social media platforms. Patients indicated a desire for provider educational materials on interactive media pages. Most preferred material written by a physician, but some indicated a preference for both physician and lay material. Online images highlighting dissatisfying skin features were influential to select patients, prompting manipulation of online personas and evaluation for aesthetic procedures. Although the study examines cosmetic patient perspectives, data highlight valuable trends for all dermatologists. Social media can improve patient education, collaboration, recruitment, and online professional image, leading to healthier patient-centered care.

  17. Delamination of hexagonal boron nitride in a stirred media mill

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Damm, C.; Körner, J.; Peukert, W.

    2013-01-01

    A scalable process for delamination of hexagonal boron nitride in an aqueous solution of the non-ionic surfactant TWEEN85 using a stirred media mill is presented. The size of the ZrO 2 beads used as grinding media governs the dimensions of the ground boron nitride particles as atomic force microscopic investigations (AFM) reveal: the mean flakes thickness decreases from 3.5 to 1.5 nm and the ratio between mean flake area and mean flake thickness increases from 2,200 to 5,800 nm if the grinding media size is reduced from 0.8 to 0.1 mm. This result shows that a high number of stress events in combination with low stress energy (small grinding media) facilitate delamination of the layered material whereas at high stress energies in combination with a low number of stress events (large grinding media) breakage of the layers dominates over delamination. The results of particle height analyses by AFM show that few-layer structures have been formed by stirred media milling. This result is in agreement with the layer thickness dependence of the delamination energy for hexagonal boron nitride. The concentration of nanoparticles remaining dispersed after centrifugation of the ground suspension increases with grinding time and with decreasing grinding media size. After 5 h of grinding using 0.1 mm ZrO 2 grinding media the yield of nanoparticle formation is about 5 wt%. The nanoparticles exhibit the typical Raman peak for hexagonal boron nitride at 1,366 cm −1 showing that the in-plane order in the milled platelets is remained.

  18. Virtual lesions of the IFG abolish response facilitation for biological and non-biological cues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roger D Newman-Norlund

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Humans are faster to perform a given action following observation of that same action. Converging evidence suggests that the human mirror neuron system (MNS plays an important role in this phenomenon. However, the specificity of the neural mechanisms governing this effect remain controversial. Specialist theories of imitation suggest that biological cues are maximally capable of eliciting imitative facilitation. Generalist models, on the other hand, posit a broader role for the MNS in linking visual stimuli with appropriate responses. In the present study, we investigated the validity of these two theoretical approaches by disrupting the left and right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG during the preparation of congruent (imitative and incongruent (complementary actions cued by either biological (hand or non-biological (static dot stimuli. Delivery of TMS over IFG abolished imitative response facilitation. Critically, this effect was identical whether actions were cued by biological or non-biological stimuli. This finding argues against theories of imitation in which biological stimuli are treated preferentially and stresses the notion of the IFG as a vital center of general perception-action coupling in the human brain.

  19. Tests and measures used by specialist physical therapists when examining patients with stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, A Williams; Folger, Stephen E; Norbet, Shannon E; Swift, Lindsay C

    2008-09-01

    Examination procedures preferred by physical therapists have not been documented either specifically or comprehensively. The purpose of this study was to determine which tests and measures are used most frequently by specialists in the examination of adults with stroke. Physical therapy specialists were identified as having geriatric or neurologic certification through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. A request to participate in a Web-based survey was sent to 471 individuals in the American Physical Therapy Association's Directory of Certified Specialists. A comprehensive list of tests and measures was first derived from the Interactive Guide to Physical Therapist Practice. The list was finalized based on several exclusion criteria and the results of a pilot study. Subjects rated the frequency of use of 294 tests and measures with patients post-stroke on a Likert scale. The survey response rate was 31.7% (n = 128). The 50 most frequently used tests and measures were identified. The results of this study do not identify the tests and measures that clinicians should use, only those that the specialists use. Nevertheless, clinicians may want to consider tests and measurements frequently used by specialists when examining adults with stroke.

  20. Hearing the voices of children and young people to develop and test a patient-reported experience measure in a specialist paediatric setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wray, Jo; Hobden, Sylvie; Knibbs, Sarah; Oldham, Geralyn

    2018-03-01

    To develop and test patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) for children and young people in a specialist paediatric hospital setting. Six PREMs were developed and tested by children and young people for children and young people aged 8-11, 12-13 and 14-16 years in inpatient and outpatient settings. A week-long pilot was implemented across inpatient wards and outpatient clinics to identify facilitators and barriers to the routine use of PREMs in a real-time setting across our organisation. Tertiary paediatric hospital. Final PREMs; identified facilitators and barriers to implementation. 543 children and young people aged 8-16 years attending outpatient clinics or inpatient wards across a range of specialties. Three key themes about hospital experience were identified during focus groups: facilities, treatment and tests and people working at the hospital, and these provided the structure for the questionnaires. During cognitive testing the questionnaires were generally understood but some revisions to language and length of the questionnaires were required. Two designs were selected for the final PREMs. During acceptability and feasibility testing it was evident that children and young people liked the PREMs and wanted to give feedback on their hospital experience. Particular challenges for routine use of the PREMs focused on sustainability and resources. The new PREMs will provide children and young people receiving care in specialist paediatric hospitals with the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience. Sustainability and ensuring that feedback results in improvements need to be addressed in future work. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  1. 78 FR 14359 - Verizon Business Networks Services, Inc., Specialist-Tech Customer Service, Philadelphia, PA...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-05

    ... Business Networks Services, Inc., Specialist-Tech Customer Service, Philadelphia, PA; Verizon Business Networks Services, Inc., Specialist-Tech Customer Service, Tampa, Florida; Amended Certification Regarding... should [[Page 14360

  2. Clinical nurse specialist education: actualizing the systems leadership competency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Cathy J; Nelson-Marten, Paula

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this article was to show how sequenced educational strategies aid in the acquisition of systems leadership and change agent skills, as well as other essential skills for professional clinical nurse specialist (CNS) practice. Clinical nurse specialist education offers the graduate student both didactic and clinical experiences to help the student transition into the CNS role. Clinical nurse specialist faculty have a responsibility to prepare students for the realities of advanced practice. Systems leadership is an integral competency of CNS practice. The contemporary CNS is to be a leader in the translation of evidence into practice. To assist students to acquire this competency, all CNS students are expected to use research and other sources of evidence to identify, design, implement, and evaluate a specific practice change. Anecdotal comments from students completing the projects are offered. Student projects have been focused in acute and critical care, palliative care, and adult/gerontologic health clinical settings; community outreach has been the focus of a few change projects. Examples of student projects related to the systems leadership competency and correlated to the spheres of influence impacted are presented.

  3. Entrustable professional activity (EPA) reshapes the practice of specialist training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niemi-Murola, Leila

    In addition to medical expertise, competence-based medical training comprises communication and collaboration skills, professionalism, and leadership skills. Continuous feedback is essential for learning and development, and feedback only from the medical specialist examination taken in the end of training does not ensure thorough specialist training. Entrustable professional activity (EPA) is a unit of professional practice, defined as tasks or responsibilities typical of the specialty. EPA translates competence-based training into manageable and meaningful entities and provides tools for the evaluation of medical competence.

  4. The power of co-creative story-telling in narratives of place: An account of VisitDenmark's social media practices to build alliances with storytellers

    OpenAIRE

    Lund, Niels Frederik

    2017-01-01

    DMOs have for some years now developed strategies to create storytelling alliances with consumers in order to strengthen their destinations’ narrative position on social media. The emergence of social media has facilitated a democratisation of media production and a power shift towards consumers who can now produce and publish content (Berthon, Pitt, Plangger and Shapiro, 2012). This means that the construction of brands within social media can be interpreted as a collective, dynamic co-creat...

  5. New Generation, New Media and Communication Rights: A View from Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tuğba ASRAK HASDEMİR

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The UN Convention on Rights of the Child (1989 is one of the international legal documents dealing with the relationship between media and children, as well as children’s communication rights.Article 13/1 of the Convention declares the “right to freedom of expression” through any kind of “media of the child’s choice”, while article 17 emphasizes that “States Parties recognize the important function performed by the mass media and shall ensure that the child has access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources”.Turkey as one of the state parties to the UNCRC, has an obligation to protect and promote children’s communication rights as set forth in the UN Convention on Rights of the Child.In recent years, new media technologies and the internet have moved into the centre of attention, as special UN reports promote the protection of the right to freedom of expression and facilitate its execution amongst children. This article tries to analyse the ways in which children in Turkey are able to exercise their communication rights in new media environment, and furthermore, to make certain recommendations about the issue.

  6. Chinese Social Media Reaction to Information about 42 Notifiable Infectious Diseases.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isaac Chun-Hai Fung

    Full Text Available This study aimed to identify what information triggered social media users' responses regarding infectious diseases. Chinese microblogs in 2012 regarding 42 infectious diseases were obtained through a keyword search in the Weiboscope database. Qualitative content analysis was performed for the posts pertinent to each keyword of the day of the year with the highest daily count. Similar posts were grouped and coded. We identified five categories of information that increased microblog traffic pertaining to infectious diseases: news of an outbreak or a case; health education/information; alternative health information/Traditional Chinese Medicine; commercial advertisement/entertainment; and social issues. News unrelated to the specified infectious diseases also led to elevated microblog traffic. Our study showcases the diverse contexts from which increased social media traffic occur. Our results will facilitate better health communication as causes underlying increased social media traffic are revealed.

  7. Chinese Social Media Reaction to Information about 42 Notifiable Infectious Diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fung, Isaac Chun-Hai; Hao, Yi; Cai, Jingxian; Ying, Yuchen; Schaible, Braydon James; Yu, Cynthia Mengxi; Tse, Zion Tsz Ho; Fu, King-Wa

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to identify what information triggered social media users' responses regarding infectious diseases. Chinese microblogs in 2012 regarding 42 infectious diseases were obtained through a keyword search in the Weiboscope database. Qualitative content analysis was performed for the posts pertinent to each keyword of the day of the year with the highest daily count. Similar posts were grouped and coded. We identified five categories of information that increased microblog traffic pertaining to infectious diseases: news of an outbreak or a case; health education/information; alternative health information/Traditional Chinese Medicine; commercial advertisement/entertainment; and social issues. News unrelated to the specified infectious diseases also led to elevated microblog traffic. Our study showcases the diverse contexts from which increased social media traffic occur. Our results will facilitate better health communication as causes underlying increased social media traffic are revealed.

  8. An Analysis of the Alteration Specialist Occupation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buerkel, Elaine; Rehling, Joseph H.

    The general purpose of the occupational analysis is to provide workable, basic information dealing with the many and varied duties performed in the textile service occupation. The industry needs properly trained alteration specialists, bushelmen and dressmakers, in the repairing, remodeling, altering or renovating of garments. Their personal…

  9. 38 CFR 17.142 - Authority to approve sharing agreements, contracts for scarce medical specialist services and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... sharing agreements, contracts for scarce medical specialist services and contracts for other medical... medical specialist services and contracts for other medical services. The Under Secretary for Health is... specialist services at Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities (including, but not limited to...

  10. Peculiarities of self-regulation of extreme profile specialists

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kabanova T.N.

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Individually-psychological characteristics were studied and profiles of the styles of self-regulation of the employees engaged in hazardous were determined. The mainly group consisted of 30 men aged 21 to 60 years, who are specialists of dangerous professions. The comparison group included 30 men from 22 to 60 years, whose professional activity was not associated with risk. The following methods were used: questionnaire "Style of self-regulation of behavior" by V. I. Morosanova; questionnaire of self-control (H. Grasmik, 1993, adaptation Bulygina V. G., Abdrazakova A. M., 2009; the questionnaire BIS/BAS, used to study the sensitivity to punishment and reward; the questionnaire formal-dynamic properties of individuality by V. M. Rusalov; the aggression questionnaire by A. Buss and M. Perry (adaptation Enikolopov S. N., Cybulski N. P., 2007; the scale of anxiety Charles D. Spielberger (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory – STAI; personal questionnaire of the G. and S. Eysenck – EPQ. It was found that specialists hazardous professions are distinguished by: a higher level of development of the regulatory flexibility and individual system of conscious self-regulation activity; higher levels of extroversion, communication activity, the total adaptability; a lower level of reactive anxiety, trait anxiety and general emotional. Moreover, impulsiveness, egocentrism, lack of restraint and physical activity in the structure of self-monitoring specialists of dangerous professions associated with high levels of affective component of aggression and incoherence of parts of the process of self-regulation. There were allocated a 3 profile of self-regulation in specialists of dangerous professions: a a high level of self-regulation – coupled with a high intellectual and physical development, the highest level of adaptability and general activity; b medium – rapid response to emerging changes in the situation, the successful production alternatives, greater

  11. Fostering a "Feeling of Worth" Among Vulnerable HIV Populations: The Role of Linkage to Care Specialists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broaddus, Michelle R; Owczarzak, Jill; Schumann, Casey; Koester, Kimberly A

    2017-10-01

    To address barriers to adequate engagement in medical care among people living with HIV, Wisconsin's AIDS/HIV Program created a new position, the Linkage to Care (LTC) Specialist. Specialists provide intensive, short-term case management and patient navigation services for small caseloads of individuals at high risk of disengaging with medical care. Clients are eligible if they are newly diagnosed with HIV or new to medical care, recently released from incarceration, recently out of care, nonadherent to scheduled medical care visits, or have detectable viral load while in care. Interviews with 30 clients of Specialists were conducted to understand experiences with the program and medical care. Common themes included the ability of Specialists to navigate complex systems of care and support services, the unique role Specialists played in their clients' lives, and the challenges of transitioning out of the program. Although the primary goal of Specialists is to address barriers to medical care, they often adopted a holistic approach that also included housing, financial assistance, and other social determinants of health. Descriptions of the Specialist's role in implementation manuals focus on their functional roles and the services provided. However, clients often discussed the emotional support they received, especially for clients without strong social support networks. Many clients also desired an ongoing relationship with their Specialists even after discharge, but had been able to establish independence and self-efficacy. The LTC Specialists are resource-intensive considering their small caseloads, but fill an important gap in existing, often overtaxed case management systems.

  12. Raising Awareness of Conveyed Personality In Social Media Traces

    OpenAIRE

    Xu, Bin; Gou, Liang; Xu, Anbang; Mahmud, Jalal; Cosley, Dan

    2017-01-01

    Users' persistent social media contents like posts on Facebook Timeline are presented as an "exhibition" about the person to others, and managing these exhibitional contents for impression management needs intentional and manual efforts. To raise awareness of and facilitate impression management around past contents, we developed a prototype called PersonalityInsight. The system employs computational psycho-linguistic analysis to help users visualize the way their past text posts might convey...

  13. Pain chronification: what should a non-pain medicine specialist know?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morlion, Bart; Coluzzi, Flaminia; Aldington, Dominic; Kocot-Kepska, Magdalena; Pergolizzi, Joseph; Mangas, Ana Cristina; Ahlbeck, Karsten; Kalso, Eija

    2018-04-12

    Pain is one of the most common reasons for an individual to consult their primary care physician, with most chronic pain being treated in the primary care setting. However, many primary care physicians/non-pain medicine specialists lack enough awareness, education and skills to manage pain patients appropriately, and there is currently no clear, common consensus/formal definition of "pain chronification". This article, based on an international Change Pain Chronic Advisory Board meeting which was held in Wiesbaden, Germany, in October 2016, provides primary care physicians/non-pain medicine specialists with a narrative overview of pain chronification, including underlying physiological and psychosocial processes, predictive factors for pain chronification, a brief summary of preventive strategies, and the role of primary care physicians and non-pain medicine specialists in the holistic management of pain chronification. Based on currently available evidence, we propose the following consensus-based definition of pain chronification which provides a common framework to raise awareness among non-pain medicine specialists: "Pain chronification describes the process of transient pain progressing into persistent pain; pain processing changes as a result of an imbalance between pain amplification and pain inhibition; genetic, environmental and biopsychosocial factors determine the risk, the degree, and time-course of chronification." Early intervention plays an important role in preventing pain chronification and, as key influencers in the management of patients with acute pain, it is critical that primary care physicians are equipped with the necessary awareness, education and skills to manage pain patients appropriately.

  14. Facilitated transport of titanium dioxide nanoparticles by humic substances in saturated porous media under acidic conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Ruichang [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science (China); Zhang, Haibo; Tu, Chen; Hu, Xuefeng; Li, Lianzhen [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (China); Luo, Yongming, E-mail: ymluo@yic.ac.cn; Christie, Peter [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science (China)

    2015-04-15

    The transport behavior of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO{sub 2} NPs, 30 nm in diameter) was studied in well-defined porous media composed of clean quartz sand over a range of solution chemistry under acidic conditions. Transport of TiO{sub 2} NPs was dramatically enhanced by humic substances (HS) at acidic pH (4.0, 5.0 and 6.0), even at a low HS concentration of 0.5 mg L{sup −1}. Facilitated transport of TiO{sub 2} NPs was likely attributable to the increased stability of TiO{sub 2} NPs and repulsive interaction between TiO{sub 2} NPs and quartz sands due to the adsorbed HS. The mobility of TiO{sub 2} NPs was also increased with increasing pH from 4.0 to 6.0. Although transport of TiO{sub 2} NPs was insensitive to low ionic strength, it was significantly inhibited by high concentrations of NaCl and CaCl{sub 2}. In addition, calculated Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) interaction energy indicated that high energy barriers were responsible for the high mobility of TiO{sub 2} NPs, while the secondary energy minimum could play an important role in the retention of TiO{sub 2} NPs at 100 mmol L{sup −1} NaCl. Straining and gravitational settlement of larger TiO{sub 2} NPs aggregates at 1 mg L{sup −1} HS, pH 5.0, and 2 mmol L{sup −1} CaCl{sub 2} could be responsible for the significant retention even in the presence of high energy barriers. Moreover, more favorable interaction between approaching TiO{sub 2} NPs and TiO{sub 2} NPs that had been already deposited on the collector resulted in a ripening-shape breakthrough curve at 2 mmol L{sup −1} CaCl{sub 2}. Overall, a combination of mechanisms including DLVO-type force, straining, and physical filtration was involved in the retention of TiO{sub 2} NPs over the range of solution chemistry examined in this study.

  15. Physical perfection of future specialists to the management.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dolinnyj U.A.

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The process of leadthrough of practical employments is considered on physical education on an experimental model, which are directed on the increase of reserve possibilities of organism of future specialists of management. In an experiment took part 30 students of 2 and 3 courses. It is set that management specialists for high-quality implementation of work need a high mental capacity, enhanceable psychoemotional firmness, general endurance. Directions of prophylaxis of emotional and physical overstrain are recommended, increases of level of positive motivation to systematic employments by physical exercises. It is marked that an experimental model in combination with the fixed form of leadthrough of employments on a body-conditioning and employments on specialization of the chosen type of sport is one the stages of alteration organizationally of methodical aspects of physical culture.

  16. The consent process in interventional radiology: the role of specialist nurses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davies, L.; Laasch, H.-U.; Wilbraham, L.; Marriott, A.; England, R.E.; Martin, D.F.

    2004-01-01

    AIMS: To evaluate the impact of patient education by specialist nurses on patients' understanding of interventional procedures, their anxiety levels and satisfaction with the given information. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty patients attending the radiology department for gastrointestinal interventional procedures were interviewed. Patients were assessed using a combination of categorical and visual analogue scales. Parameters were assessed on admission and after additional information had been given by specialist nurses. After the procedure patients were asked to rate the quality of information given and their overall satisfaction. RESULTS: Four of the 60 patients were excluded due to a Mini Mental Test score of <7. Only 35 (62.5%) claimed to have been given information by the referring consultant. Fifty-three patients received additional information before formally giving consent, 50 (96.2%) from the specialist nurses. Patient anxiety before and after information did not significantly change (p=0.52), but there was significant improvement in levels of satisfaction (p=0.001) and perceived understanding (p<0.001). Patients rated overall quality of information at an average of 9.2/10 and overall satisfaction was high (median=9.1/10). CONCLUSION: The use of specialist nurses to educate patients greatly increases patient understanding. The process of informed consent is improved and patient satisfaction is increased

  17. The consent process in interventional radiology: the role of specialist nurses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davies, L.; Laasch, H.-U.; Wilbraham, L.; Marriott, A.; England, R.E.; Martin, D.F. E-mail: derrick.martin@smtr.nhs.uk

    2004-03-01

    AIMS: To evaluate the impact of patient education by specialist nurses on patients' understanding of interventional procedures, their anxiety levels and satisfaction with the given information. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty patients attending the radiology department for gastrointestinal interventional procedures were interviewed. Patients were assessed using a combination of categorical and visual analogue scales. Parameters were assessed on admission and after additional information had been given by specialist nurses. After the procedure patients were asked to rate the quality of information given and their overall satisfaction. RESULTS: Four of the 60 patients were excluded due to a Mini Mental Test score of <7. Only 35 (62.5%) claimed to have been given information by the referring consultant. Fifty-three patients received additional information before formally giving consent, 50 (96.2%) from the specialist nurses. Patient anxiety before and after information did not significantly change (p=0.52), but there was significant improvement in levels of satisfaction (p=0.001) and perceived understanding (p<0.001). Patients rated overall quality of information at an average of 9.2/10 and overall satisfaction was high (median=9.1/10). CONCLUSION: The use of specialist nurses to educate patients greatly increases patient understanding. The process of informed consent is improved and patient satisfaction is increased.

  18. Brakes Specialist. Teacher Edition. Automotive Service Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oklahoma State Dept. of Vocational and Technical Education, Stillwater. Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center.

    This document contains teacher's materials for a course on becoming an automotive brakes specialist, based on the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence task lists. The course consists of three instructional units: service brake hydraulic system and wheel bearings, service drum brakes, and service disc brakes. Depending on the…

  19. Learning Mathematics for Teaching Mathematics: Non-Specialist Teachers' Mathematics Teacher Identity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crisan, Cosette; Rodd, Melissa

    2017-01-01

    A non-specialist teacher of mathematics is a school teacher who qualified to teach in a subject other than mathematics yet teaches mathematics to students in secondary school. There is an emerging interest internationally in this population, a brief report of which is given in the paper. Because of concerns about the quality of non-specialists'…

  20. Insideness and Outsideness: An Autoethnography of a Primary Physical Education Specialist Teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, Caroline; Thompson, Maree Dinan

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to provide an authentic and legitimate voice to the physical education (PE) specialist teacher in the primary school and to give an insight into professional knowledge. An autoethnographic approach has been used to invite readers to enter my world of the primary PE specialist teacher and observe and respond to its…

  1. The role of social media in online weight management: systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Tammy; Chopra, Vineet; Zhang, Catherine; Woolford, Susan J

    2013-11-28

    Social media applications are promising adjuncts to online weight management interventions through facilitating education, engagement, and peer support. However, the precise impact of social media on weight management is unclear. The objective of this study was to systematically describe the use and impact of social media in online weight management interventions. PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for English-language studies published through March 25, 2013. Additional studies were identified by searching bibliographies of electronically retrieved articles. Randomized controlled trials of online weight management interventions that included a social media component for individuals of all ages were selected. Studies were evaluated using 2 systematic scales to assess risk of bias and study quality. Of 517 citations identified, 20 studies met eligibility criteria. All study participants were adults. Because the included studies varied greatly in study design and reported outcomes, meta-analysis of interventions was not attempted. Although message boards and chat rooms were the most common social media component included, their effect on weight outcomes was not reported in most studies. Only one study measured the isolated effect of social media. It found greater engagement of participants, but no difference in weight-related outcomes. In all, 65% of studies were of high quality; 15% of studies were at low risk of bias. Despite the widespread use of social media, few studies have quantified the effect of social media in online weight management interventions; thus, its impact is still unknown. Although social media may play a role in retaining and engaging participants, studies that are designed to measure its effect are needed to understand whether and how social media may meaningfully improve weight management.

  2. Active methods of teaching in the system of preparation of specialists on physical education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pechko O.M.

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The uses of simulation games given about directions are resulted in pedagogical practice. Practice is conducted during the increase of professional qualification of specialists. Possibilities of the use of pedagogical situations are considered in the system of preparation of specialist. Pedagogical situations are an aggregate of facilities and methods of becoming of professional specialist. The prospects of the use of simulation games are indicated in an educational process. Acquisition of the proper qualities options are rotined.

  3. Survey of the labour market for information specialists in Lithuania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Maceviciute

    1998-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on the results of surveys carried out in Lithuania and Estonia in 1995 and 1996, the main aim of which was to provide a basis for planning the development of information management courses in the Baltic States. In the course of the project it was necessary to resolve certain methodological difficulties in the identification of the concept 'information specialist' and in the process of data collection. The results show the recruitment rates needed over the next three years and the qualities and skills needed by information specialists.

  4. Specialist Physicians' Attitudes and Practice Patterns Regarding Disclosure of Pre-referral Medical Errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dossett, Lesly A; Kauffmann, Rondi M; Lee, Jay S; Singh, Harkamal; Lee, M Catherine; Morris, Arden M; Jagsi, Reshma; Quinn, Gwendolyn P; Dimick, Justin B

    2018-06-01

    Our objective was to determine specialist physicians' attitudes and practices regarding disclosure of pre-referral errors. Physicians are encouraged to disclose their own errors to patients. However, no clear professional norms exist regarding disclosure when physicians discover errors in diagnosis or treatment that occurred at other institutions before referral. We conducted semistructured interviews of cancer specialists from 2 National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers. We purposively sampled specialists by discipline, sex, and experience-level who self-described a >50% reliance on external referrals (n = 30). Thematic analysis of verbatim interview transcripts was performed to determine physician attitudes regarding disclosure of pre-referral medical errors; whether and how physicians disclose these errors; and barriers to providing full disclosure. Participants described their experiences identifying different types of pre-referral errors including errors of diagnosis, staging and treatment resulting in adverse events ranging from decreased quality of life to premature death. The majority of specialists expressed the belief that disclosure provided no benefit to patients, and might unnecessarily add to their anxiety about their diagnoses or prognoses. Specialists had varying practices of disclosure including none, non-verbal, partial, event-dependent, and full disclosure. They identified a number of barriers to disclosure, including medicolegal implications and damage to referral relationships, the profession's reputation, and to patient-physician relationships. Specialist physicians identify pre-referral errors but struggle with whether and how to provide disclosure, even when clinical circumstances force disclosure. Education- or communication-based interventions that overcome barriers to disclosing pre-referral errors warrant development.

  5. Challenges of pain control and the role of the ambulatory pain specialist in the outpatient surgery setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vadivelu, Nalini; Kai, Alice M; Kodumudi, Vijay; Berger, Jack M

    2016-01-01

    Ambulatory surgery is on the rise, with an unmet need for optimum pain control in ambulatory surgery centers worldwide. It is important that there is a proportionate increase in the availability of acute pain-management services to match the rapid rise of clinical patient load with pain issues in the ambulatory surgery setting. Focus on ambulatory pain control with its special challenges is vital to achieve optimum pain control and prevent morbidity and mortality. Management of perioperative pain in the ambulatory surgery setting is becoming increasingly complex, and requires the employment of a multimodal approach and interventions facilitated by ambulatory surgery pain specialists, which is a new concept. A focused ambulatory pain specialist on site at each ambulatory surgery center, in addition to providing safe anesthesia, could intervene early once problematic pain issues are recognized, thus preventing emergency room visits, as well as readmissions for uncontrolled pain. This paper reviews methods of acute-pain management in the ambulatory setting with risk stratification, the utilization of multimodal interventions, including pharmacological and nonpharmacological options, opioids, nonopioids, and various routes with the goal of preventing delayed discharge and unexpected hospital admissions after ambulatory surgery. Continued research and investigation in the area of pain management with outcome studies in acute surgically inflicted pain in patients with underlying chronic pain treated with opioids and the pattern and predictive factors for pain in the ambulatory surgical setting is needed.

  6. OPM: The Open Porous Media Initiative

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flemisch, B.; Flornes, K. M.; Lie, K.; Rasmussen, A.

    2011-12-01

    The principal objective of the Open Porous Media (OPM) initiative is to develop a simulation suite that is capable of modeling industrially and scientifically relevant flow and transport processes in porous media and bridge the gap between the different application areas of porous media modeling, including reservoir mechanics, CO2 sequestration, biological systems, and product development of engineered media. The OPM initiative will provide a long-lasting, efficient, and well-maintained open-source software for flow and transport in porous media built on modern software principles. The suite is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Our motivation is to provide a means to unite industry and public research on simulation of flow and transport in porous media. For academic users, we seek to provide a software infrastructure that facilitates testing of new ideas on models with industry-standard complexity, while at the same time giving the researcher control over discretization and solvers. Similarly, we aim to accelerate the technology transfer from academic institutions to professional companies by making new research results available as free software of professional standard. The OPM initiative is currently supported by six research groups in Norway and Germany and funded by existing grants from public research agencies as well as from Statoil Petroleum and Total E&P Norge. However, a full-scale development of the OPM initiative requires substantially more funding and involvement of more research groups and potential end users. In this talk, we will provide an overview of the current activities in the OPM initiative. Special emphasis will be given to the demonstration of the synergies achieved by combining the strengths of individual open-source software components. In particular, a new fully implicit solver developed within the DUNE-based simulator DuMux could be enhanced by the ability to read industry-standard Eclipse input files and to run on

  7. Development of the Role Scenario of the Personnel Management Specialist Activity

    OpenAIRE

    Stolyaruk Khrystyna S.

    2013-01-01

    The article is devoted of the issues of development of classification and content of role, which are performed by personnel management specialists in their professional activity. It proves a necessity of development of role scenarios under conditions of application of the competence approach in training and practical activity. Thus, the author offers five key roles in activity of a personnel management specialist, which reflect different vectors of directions of the scenario of professional a...

  8. Impact of the Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative on Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobi, Judith; Ray, Shaunta'; Danelich, Ilya; Dodds Ashley, Elizabeth; Eckel, Stephen; Guharoy, Roy; Militello, Michael; O'Donnell, Paul; Sam, Teena; Crist, Stephanie M; Smidt, Danielle

    2016-05-01

    This paper describes the goals of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative (PPMI) and its recommendations for health-system pharmacy practice transformation to meet future patient care needs and elevate the role of pharmacists as patient care providers. PPMI envisions a future in which pharmacists have greater responsibility for medication-related outcomes and technicians assume greater responsibility for product-related activities. Although the PPMI recommendations have elevated the level of practice in many settings, they also potentially affect existing clinical pharmacists, in general, and clinical pharmacy specialists, in particular. Moreover, although more consistent patient care can be achieved with an expanded team of pharmacist providers, the role of clinical pharmacy specialists must not be diminished, especially in the care of complex patients and populations. Specialist practitioners with advanced training and credentials must be available to model and train pharmacists in generalist positions, residents, and students. Indeed, specialist practitioners are often the innovators and practice leaders. Negotiation between hospitals and pharmacy schools is needed to ensure a continuing role for academic clinical pharmacists and their contributions as educators and researchers. Lessons can be applied from disciplines such as nursing and medicine, which have developed new models of care involving effective collaboration between generalists and specialists. Several different pharmacy practice models have been described to meet the PPMI goals, based on available personnel and local goals. Studies measuring the impact of these new practice models are needed. © 2016 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

  9. Self-represented witnessing: the use of social media by asylum seekers in Australia's offshore immigration detention centres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rae, Maria; Holman, Rosa; Nethery, Amy

    2018-05-01

    The act of witnessing connects audiences with distant suffering. But what happens when bearing witness becomes severely restricted? External parties, including the mainstream news media, are constrained from accessing Australia's offshore immigration detention centres. The effect is that people seeking asylum are hidden from the public and excluded from national debates. Some detainees have adopted social media as a platform to communicate their stories of flight, and their experiences of immigration detention, to a wider audience. This article examines the ways in which social media, and particularly Facebook, has facilitated what we call self-represented witnessing. We analyse two public Facebook pages to assess how detainees use such social media networks to document their experiences, and we observe the interaction between detainees, other social media users and mainstream media. Significantly, these social media networks enable detained asylum seekers to conduct an unmediated form of self-represented witnessing that exposes human rights abuses and documents justice claims.

  10. Provision and practice of specialist preterm labour clinics: a UK survey of practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharp, A N; Alfirevic, Z

    2014-03-01

    To identify the current status of specialist preterm labour (PTL) clinic provision and management within the UK. Postal survey of clinical practice. All consultant-led obstetric units within the UK. A questionnaire was sent by post to all 210 NHS consultant-led obstetric units within the UK. Units that had a specialist PTL clinic were asked to complete a further 20 questions defining their protocol for risk stratification and management. Current practice in specialist preterm labour clinics. We have identified 23 specialist clinics; the most common indications for attendance were previous PTL (100%), preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (95%), two large loop excisions of the transformation zone (95%) or cone biopsy (95%). There was significant heterogeneity in the indications for and method of primary treatment for short cervix, with cervical cerclage used in 45% of units, progesterone in 18% of units and Arabin cervical pessary in 5%. A further 23% used multiple treatment modalities in combination. A significant heterogeneity in all topics surveyed suggests an urgent need for networking, more evidence-based guidelines and prospective comparative audits to ascertain the real impact of specialist PTL clinics on the reduction in preterm birth and its sequelae. © 2013 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

  11. Social media in the emergency medicine residency curriculum: social media responses to the residents' perspective article.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayes, Bryan D; Kobner, Scott; Trueger, N Seth; Yiu, Stella; Lin, Michelle

    2015-05-01

    In July to August 2014, Annals of Emergency Medicine continued a collaboration with an academic Web site, Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM), to host an online discussion session featuring the 2014 Annals Residents' Perspective article "Integration of Social Media in Emergency Medicine Residency Curriculum" by Scott et al. The objective was to describe a 14-day worldwide clinician dialogue about evidence, opinions, and early relevant innovations revolving around the featured article and made possible by the immediacy of social media technologies. Six online facilitators hosted the multimodal discussion on the ALiEM Web site, Twitter, and YouTube, which featured 3 preselected questions. Engagement was tracked through various Web analytic tools, and themes were identified by content curation. The dialogue resulted in 1,222 unique page views from 325 cities in 32 countries on the ALiEM Web site, 569,403 Twitter impressions, and 120 views of the video interview with the authors. Five major themes we identified in the discussion included curriculum design, pedagogy, and learning theory; digital curation skills of the 21st-century emergency medicine practitioner; engagement challenges; proposed solutions; and best practice examples. The immediacy of social media technologies provides clinicians the unique opportunity to engage a worldwide audience within a relatively short time frame. Copyright © 2015 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Focus group interviews examining the contribution of intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists in Ireland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doody, Owen; Slevin, Eamonn; Taggart, Laurence

    2017-10-01

    To explore the contribution of clinical nurse specialists in intellectual disability nursing in Ireland. While clinical nurse specialists exist since the 1940s, they have only been a reality in Ireland since 2001. While the role of clinical nurse specialist has developed over the years, it still however is often seen as a complex multifaceted role that causes confusion, frustration and controversy. A exploratory qualitative approach using focus groups with Irish intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists (n = 31). Five focus group interviews were conducted to gather qualitative data to gain insight into the attitudes, perceptions and opinions of the participants. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using Burnard's (Vital Notes for Nurses: Research for Evidence-Based Practice in Healthcare, 2011, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford) framework. Ethical approval was gained from the researcher's university and access granted by the national council for the professional development of nursing/midwifery in Ireland. The study highlights that intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists contribute to and support care delivery across a range of areas including client-focused and family-centred care, staff support, organisation support, community support and supporting other agencies. Overall, the study shows the importance of intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists and their contribution across a range of services, care environments and the support they offer to clients/families/staff/multidisciplinary team members and outside agencies. Ireland is in a unique position to develop knowledge regarding specialist care for people with intellectual disability that can be shared and adapted by other healthcare professionals in other countries that do not have specialised intellectual disability nurses. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. CONCEPTUAL BASES OF TRAINING OF TOURISM SPECIALISTS IN UKRAINE (BY THE EXAMPLE OF KRYVYI RIH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Вікторія Пацюк

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Relevance and importance of training of tourism specialists on the regional level have been revealed.  General principles of training of tourism services specialists in Ukraine have been found out. The structure and professional specialization of Ukrainian universities, where the “Tourism” specialists are trained have been analyzed. Pofessional requirements for future employees of tourism industry have been defined. Relevance of training of tourism specialists in Kryvyi Rih in the context of the implementation of the Program of Industrial Tourism Development has been revealed. Potential scope of employment of tourism graduates has been defined. Main tasks  of tourism education in Ukraine have been generalized.

  14. Developing Preschool Deaf Children's Language and Literacy Learning from an Educational Media Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golos, Debbie B.; Moses, Annie M.

    2013-01-01

    With the increase in research on multiliteracies comes greater interest in exploring multiple pathways of learning for deaf children. Educational media have been increasingly examined as a tool for facilitating the development of deaf children's language and literacy skills. The authors investigated whether preschool deaf children (N = 31)…

  15. Professional Training of Marketing Specialists: Foreign Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakharchenko, Yuliia

    2017-01-01

    Due to content-based analysis of marketing specialists' professional training and approaches to development of their educational trajectory, it has been revealed that curricula and their content are given much attention by employers whose demands are focused on meeting current labour market conditions. It has been justified that despite the…

  16. Managing Media: Segmenting Media Through Consumer Expectancies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matt Eastin

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available It has long been understood that consumers are motivated to media differently. However, given the lack of comparative model analysis, this assumption is without empirical validation, and thus, the orientation of segmentation from a media management perspective is without motivational grounds. Thus, evolving the literature on media consumption, the current study develops and compares models of media segmentation within the context of use. From this study, six models of media expectancies were constructed so that motivational differences between media (i.e., local and national newspapers, network and cable television, radio, and Internet could be observed. Utilizing higher order statistical analyses the data indicates differences across a model comparison approach for media motivations. Furthermore, these differences vary across numerous demographic factors. Results afford theoretical advancement within the literature of consumer media consumption as well as provide media planners’ insight into consumer choices.

  17. Reduction of Perceived Social Distance as an Explanation for Media's Influence on Personal Risk Perceptions: A Test of the Risk Convergence Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    So, Jiyeon; Nabi, Robin

    2013-01-01

    The risk convergence model proposes reduction of perceived social distance to a mediated personality as a mechanism through which the mass media can influence audiences' personal risk perceptions. As an initial test of the model, this study examined whether 5 audience variables known to facilitate media effects on personal risk…

  18. Heineken in the House: Improving Online Media Reputation through Featuring a Sponsored Brand Community

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vermeer, S.; Remmelswaal, P.; Jacobs, S.

    2017-01-01

    Nowadays, more and more organizations use social media to promote their sponsorships of big events. Heineken has created a major brand community by facilitating the Holland Heineken House during the Olympic Games. This study investigates to what extent featuring a sponsored brand community on social

  19. US Influence on the Education System in Turkey: An Analysis of Reports by American Education Specialists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keskin, Yusuf

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to analyse reports prepared by American education specialists visiting Turkey from the Proclamation of the Republic till the end of the 1950's to inspect Turkey's education system. In accordance with this purpose, first, the foreign specialists' reports are briefly introduced chronologically and then American specialist reports…

  20. Criteria for social media-based scholarship in health professions education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherbino, Jonathan; Arora, Vineet M; Van Melle, Elaine; Rogers, Robert; Frank, Jason R; Holmboe, Eric S

    2015-10-01

    Social media are increasingly used in health professions education. How can innovations and research that incorporate social media applications be adjudicated as scholarship? To define the criteria for social media-based scholarship in health professions education. In 2014 the International Conference on Residency Education hosted a consensus conference of health professions educators with expertise in social media. An expert working group drafted consensus statements based on a literature review. Draft consensus statements were posted on an open interactive online platform 2 weeks prior to the conference. In-person and virtual (via Twitter) participants modified, added or deleted draft consensus statements in an iterative fashion during a facilitated 2 h session. Final consensus statements were unanimously endorsed. A review of the literature demonstrated no existing criteria for social media-based scholarship. The consensus of 52 health professions educators from 20 organisations in four countries defined four key features of social media-based scholarship. It must (1) be original; (2) advance the field of health professions education by building on theory, research or best practice; (3) be archived and disseminated; and (4) provide the health professions education community with the ability to comment on and provide feedback in a transparent fashion that informs wider discussion. Not all social media activities meet the standard of education scholarship. This paper clarifies the criteria, championing social media-based scholarship as a legitimate academic activity in health professions education. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.