A COMPARISON OF SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY AND MINERALOGICAL VARIATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH TOTAL ORGANIC CARBON IN THE MARCELLUS FORMATION: WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

A recent surge of interest has arisen concerning the Devonian organic-rich black shales native to the Appalachian Basin of the east coast of the United States and their potential as gas producers The Marcellus Shale Formation is part of the middle Devonian Hamilton Group (380 Ma) and is one of ten extensive black shale units in the Appalachian Basin deposited as part of a cyclic repetitive progression of three distinct rock types consisting of organic-rich shales, coarser clastics (silty shales, siltstones, and sandstones), and carbonates (Roen, 1984; Lash and Engelder, 2009). Gas production from these shales is widespread; with high versus low production rates not only controlled by the gas content in the shale, but also largely by the mineral content of the rock that makes the rock more conducive to fractures remaining open. It is hypothesized that the ability of shale to fracture is controlled by the amount of silica and/or calcite in the rock, and that the variability in the occurrence of those minerals can be predicted by sequence stratigraphy. The construction of a sequence stratigraphic model on a basinwide scale over the state of Pennsylvania began with a correlation of 821 wireline well logs. Then, to tie the working sequence stratigraphic model to mineralogy within individual zones of rock, analysis of 24 rotary sidewall cores was conducted using qualitative x-ray diffraction to determine the mineralogy of each sample. This study determined that the mineralogy of the organic-rich shales within the Marcellus Formation can be predicted by sequence stratigraphy, and also found there to be a relationship between mineralogy and total organic carbon (TOC). Now that a relationship is found between mineralogy, TOC, and its location within a sequence stratigraphic framework specific zones may be identified in a predicable manner within certain sequences that are likely more productive than others.Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department o

Palliative care: community nurses' perceptions of quality

Objectives—To identify community nurses' perceptions of quality care provision for patients requiring palliative care. Design—Semi-structured interviews were conducted with community nurses working within the district nursing service. An adaptation of Flanagan's critical incident technique was employed to elicit factors associated with high or poor quality palliative care. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis, recurrent themes being agreed by the research team. Setting—One community healthcare trust. Subjects—62 members of the district nursing team (grades B–H). Results—Respondents recounted the context in which high quality palliative care could be provided, the actions required, and the indicators that suggested the desired level of care had been achieved. Key factors identified were: the early referral of patients to the district nursing service, family circumstances, the availability of time, the accessibility of services and equipment, and the relationship with other healthcare professionals and informal carers. There was a general view that a positive outcome had been achieved when patients retained control over their circumstances and died a peaceful death, in the place of their choice, supported by their family. Conclusions—Community nurses were able to articulate clearly the essential components of high quality care. Whilst these factors do not represent a comprehensive list, they are put forward as a useful starting point for standard setting and subsequent audit. Key Words: palliative care; community nursin

An evaluation of information cards as a means of improving communication between hospital and primary care for women with breast cancer.

This paper describes an intervention study aimed at improving communication between hospital services and the primary health care team. A series of information cards were developed by breast specialist secondary care professionals for members of the primary health care team. Women with breast cancer were involved in the communication pathway and were asked to take the information cards to their own general practitioner (GP) practice. It was envisaged that women would be more likely to utilize the primary health care team for information if they were aware that the primary health care team was in receipt of information specific to the treatment they had received. Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer were allocated to either an intervention (n=38) or non-intervention (n=38) group. Patient interviews were carried out around the time of diagnosis and at 4 months from diagnosis. Interviews were also carried out with 31 GPs to ascertain their views on the provision of information for women with breast cancer, and on the information cards if relevant. The study findings were interesting although not significant in terms of the direction anticipated. The cards did not impact on the utilization of the primary health care team and women in the intervention group were no more likely to utilize primary care sources of information than women in the non-intervention group. Factors such as the long-standing relationship women had with their GP, the perceived lack of specialist knowledge on the part of GPs and district nurses, and the women's perception that information seeking was not a tangible reason for primary care contact had an impact on information-seeking behaviour

Evaluation of nurse prescribing Final report; executive summary

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:q97/03604 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Evaluation of nurse prescribing Final report; executive summary

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:q97/03604 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo