Jonathan F. Krell. Ecocritics and Ecoskeptics: A Humanist Reading of Recent French Ecofiction. Liverpool UP, 2020.

Review of Jonathan F. Krell. Ecocritics and Ecoskeptics: A Humanist Reading of Recent French Ecofiction. Liverpool UP, 2020, 261 pp

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Use of Academic Library Resources

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted higher education, including academic libraries. This paper compares the use of library resources (including interlibrary loan, website and discovery tool pageviews, database use, patron interactions, etc.) at three university libraries before and after the pandemic. The latter part of the 2019 and 2020 spring semesters are the timeframes of focus, although two control timeframes from earlier in those semesters are used to determine how the semesters differed when the coronavirus was not a factor. The institutions experienced similar patterns of use across many metrics

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Use of Academic Library Resources

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted higher education, including academic libraries. This paper compares the use of library resources (including interlibrary loan, website and discovery tool pageviews, database use, patron interactions, etc.) at three university libraries before and after the pandemic. The latter part of the 2019 and 2020 spring semesters are the timeframes of focus, although two control timeframes from earlier in those semesters are used to determine how the semesters differed when the coronavirus was not a factor. The institutions experienced similar patterns of use across many metrics

Family members' perceptions of nurse caring behaviours in the intensive care unit

La présence de membres de la famille dans les milieux de soins critiques a augmentée graduellement au cours des dernières années. La présente recherche visait à décrire la perception que les membres de la famille avait eu à l’égard des comportements de caring des infirmières lors de leur visite aux soins intensifs. Plus spécifiquement, ce projet avait pour but d’explorer les différences entre les perceptions de membres de la famille dont le proche était hospitalisé pour une blessure traumatique versus une maladie grave non-traumatique. Les différences ont aussi été examinées selon certaines caractéristiques personnelles d’un membre de la famille soit leur genre, leur expérience antérieure de visites aux soins intensifs, leur âge et leur perception de la gravité du problème de santé de leur proche. Le cadre de référence de cette étude était basé sur les facteurs caratifs proposés par Watson (1985). L’importance et la satisfaction des membres de la famille à l’égard des comportements de caring de la part des infirmières ont été mesurées par les versions française et anglaise adaptées du Caring Behaviors Assessment (CBA) (Cronin & Harrison, 1988). Les données ont été analysées en utilisant les techniques d’analyse MANOVA et des tests de corrélation de Pearson. En général, les résultats indiquent que les membres de la famille rapportent des degrés d’importance et de satisfaction similaires selon que leur proche était hospitalisé pour une blessure traumatique ou une maladie grave non-traumatique. Peu de différences émergent selon les caractéristiques personnelles des membres de la famille. Un coefficient de corrélation significatif (0.36, p = 0.012) existe entre la perception des membres de la famille de la gravité du problème de santé, et l’importance de la dimension ‘réponses aux besoins’. Par ailleurs, les comportements de caring regroupés dans la dimension ‘réponses aux besoins’ ont été perçus comme étant les plus importants et les membres de familles étaient très satisfaits des comportements de caring des infirmières. Cette étude fournit des pistes pour l’enseignement, la clinique et la recherche et met en lumière la perception des membres de la famille des soins infirmiers humains chez des proches hospitalisés dans une unité de soins intensifs.Family member presence in critical care environments has been gradually increasing over recent years. The aim of this study was to evaluate family members’ perceptions with regard to nurse caring behaviours while in the intensive care unit (ICU). Of particular interest were the perceptions of family members of different diagnostic groupings (critically injured “trauma” versus other critical illnesses), and socio-demographic characteristics (gender, previous experience in an ICU, age and perception of illness severity). The conceptual framework was based on Watson’s ‘carative’ factors. Family members rated the importance with nurses’ caring behaviours using English and French versions of The Caring Behaviors Assessment (CBA) (Cronin & Harrison, 1988). The data were analyzed using MANOVA and Pearson Correlation Coefficients. Family members from both groups reported similar degrees of importance and satisfaction with nurse caring behaviours. Few differences emerged based on socio-demographic characteristics. Similar to studies using the CBA on patients, behaviours belonging to the ‘human needs assistance’ dimension were perceived as most important indicators of caring. A significant positive correlation (0.36, p =.012) was found between family members’ perception of illness severity and the importance of the ‘human needs assistance’ dimension . This study provides some indications for critical care nursing (education, training, research) from the unique perspective of the family member, and sheds light on the particular nurse caring behaviours that are important to them during a time of crisis

Measuring apoptosis at the single cell level

The use of live cell microscopy has made a number of contributions to the study of apoptosis. Many of the tools and techniques are available that allow us to image the key events that occur during cell death including mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, mitochondrial transmembrane potential changes, translocation of Bcl-2 family members, caspase activation, phosphatidylserine flip and plasma membrane rupture. We discuss these techniques here and highlight the advantages and drawbacks of using such approaches to study apoptosis. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

A usability and feasibility study of a computerized version of the Bath Adolescent Pain Questionnaire: the BAPQ-C.

Background Pain is a common experience in adolescence, with up to 44% of adolescents reporting chronic pain. For a significant minority, severe pain becomes an ongoing disabling problem. Treatment of adolescent chronic pain aims to reduce the impact of pain on adolescents’ lives. Efficient, accurate assessment of the impact of pain is essential to treatment. The ‘Bath Adolescent Pain Questionnaire’ (BAPQ) is a psychometrically robust multidimensional self-report measure of adolescent functioning. Whilst widely used, the paper-based format of the BAPQ can present completion difficulties for adolescents experiencing chronic pain. To increase the accessibility and clinical utility of the BAPQ, an electronic version of the measure is needed. This study assesses the usability and feasibility of a computerized version of this measure (BAPQ-C) in an adolescent chronic pain population. Methods Fourteen adolescents (13 females; 13–16 years) were recruited from a hospital-based residential pain management programme. Participants completed a qualitative ‘thinking aloud task’ whilst completing the BAPQ-C. and, an acceptability questionnaire regarding the BAPQ-C. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, a widely used qualitative method of data analysis. ResultsTwo themes labelled ‘engagement and technological appeal’ and ‘accessibility and independence’ were generated. Themes revealed numerous factors contributing to participants’ preference for the BAPQ-C compared with the paper version of the BAPQ. Participants reported that the BAPQ-C was ‘quicker’ and ‘easier’ to complete than the BAPQ. Functional aspects of the BAPQ-C which included use of a touch screen rather than a pen and paper, font colours/styles, the zoom function and the spellchecker, provided participants with improved access. This subsequently increased participants’ independence and confidence when completing the measure. ConclusionThe BAPQ-C is a feasible multidimensional tool for the assessment of functioning in adolescents who experience chronic pain. It was well-received by participants who were able to complete the measure more quickly, independently and confidently than the paper-based BAPQ. Increased speed, ease and accuracy of completion make the BAPQ-C an ideal tool for use in busy clinical and research settings. Findings highlight the potential benefits of adopting the BAPQ-C when assessing the impact of chronic pain on adolescents in clinic and home-based settings

Conversion of an intensified fed-batch to an integrated continuous bioprocess

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Sleep Medication Use by people with Cerebral Palsy: A Population Level DataLinkage Study

Objectives To (1) compare proportions of the population dispensed sleep medication, and rate (dispensations/month) and amount (milligrams/month) of dispensed sleep medication, in individuals with and without cerebral palsy (CP); and (2) describe dispensation of sleep medication within CP and non-CP cohorts with respect to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Approach Individuals aged 6 -36 years (aligning with those known to the Northern Ireland CP Register [NICPR]), registered with a general practitioner at 01-January-2018, were identified within the National Health Application and Infrastructure System.  Sleep medications dispensed 01-January-2018 to 31-December-2019 were extracted from the Enhanced Prescribing Database.  Analysis was limited to melatonin due to small counts in other medications.  Routine healthcare data was sourced from the Honest Broker Service (HBS).  NICPR clinical data (CP-type, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), gestation and birthweight) were linked to routine healthcare data using the Health and Care Number by HBS. Descriptive statistics are presented. Results Complete matching was achieved between NICPR and healthcare data using the HCN.  Final cohorts consisted of 1,598 individuals with CP and 790,097 without CP. A greater proportion of those with CP were dispensed melatonin compared to those without CP (4.6% vs 1.0%).  The CP cohort were also dispensed melatonin at a greater rate (median(IQR) CP 0.33(0.71) vs non-CP 0.25(0.54) dispensations/month) and in greater amounts (median(IQR) CP 30(74.7) vs non-CP 17.5(55.0) mg/month).  Within the CP cohort, differences in melatonin dispensation were observed across sociodemographic groups (male 5.1% vs female 3.9%; children 8.2% vs young adults 2.2%; urban 6.5% vs rural 5.0%); deprived 5.1% vs affluent 4.2%).  Clinical characteristics associated with greatest dispensation of melatonin were non-spastic CP (6.83%), GMFCS IV&V (5.29%), or extremely premature birth (6.85%). Conclusion Individuals with CP, particularly children, are more likely to be dispensed sleep medications compared to the general population.  Awareness of this disparity could encourage further research on assessment and management of sleep in CP and facilitate discussions between healthcare providers and families on underlying causes of sleep problems

California Restorative Justice in Education: Stakeholders Finding Common Ground in Concepts and Practices

Restorative Justice in Education (RJE) is a positive alternative to zero tolerance disciplinary policies that can help reduce school suspensions and dropouts, reduce revenue losses, and improve the lives of youth and communities. This article describes work to define core practices in Restorative Justice in Education (RJE) efforts in California to enable practitioners to employ standardized concepts and develop programs whose outcomes can be evaluated. One hundred and seventy-four practitioners and stakeholders attended regional meetings to discuss and prioritize promising practices. These discussions were then analyzed, and the concepts were categorized into core and supportive practices in order to develop agreed-upon working definitions. Codification of concepts enables RJE practitioners and stakeholders to develop standardized practices and further RJE’s role in advancing equity in schools