Challenges in imaging and predictive modeling of rhizosphere processes

Background Plant-soil interaction is central to human food production and ecosystem function. Thus, it is essential to not only understand, but also to develop predictive mathematical models which can be used to assess how climate and soil management practices will affect these interactions. Scope In this paper we review the current developments in structural and chemical imaging of rhizosphere processes within the context of multiscale mathematical image based modeling. We outline areas that need more research and areas which would benefit from more detailed understanding. Conclusions We conclude that the combination of structural and chemical imaging with modeling is an incredibly powerful tool which is fundamental for understanding how plant roots interact with soil. We emphasize the need for more researchers to be attracted to this area that is so fertile for future discoveries. Finally, model building must go hand in hand with experiments. In particular, there is a real need to integrate rhizosphere structural and chemical imaging with modeling for better understanding of the rhizosphere processes leading to models which explicitly account for pore scale processes

Neural and physiological data from participants listening to affective music

Music provides a means of communicating affective meaning. However, the neurological mechanisms by which music induces affect are not fully understood. Our project sought to investigate this through a series of experiments into how humans react to affective musical stimuli and how physiological and neurological signals recorded from those participants change in accordance with self-reported changes in affect. In this paper, the datasets recorded over the course of this project are presented, including details of the musical stimuli, participant reports of their felt changes in affective states as they listened to the music, and concomitant recordings of physiological and neurological activity. We also include non-identifying meta data on our participant populations for purposes of further exploratory analysis. This data provides a large and valuable novel resource for researchers investigating emotion, music, and how they affect our neural and physiological activity

Nurse interrupted: Development of a realistic medication administration simulation for undergraduate nurses

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. Background: Medication errors are a global phenomenon. Each year Australia-wide there are up to 96,000 preventable medication errors and in the United States there are approximately 450,000 preventable medication errors. One of the leading causes of errors is interruption yet some interruptions are unavoidable. In the interest of patient safety, nurses need to not only understand the impact of interruptions, but also be empowered with the knowledge and skills required to develop effective interruption management strategies. Well-planned simulation experiences have the potential to expose students to authentic clinical cases, otherwise unavailable to them, building critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills and preparing them for practice. Aim: This paper describes a simulated role-play experience that was developed to enable undergraduate nurses to experience, reflect on and analyse their responses to interruptions during medication administration. Methods: The simulation design presented in this paper was underpinned by both nursing and educational theorists, in combination with established simulation frameworks. Setting and Participants: Embedded within a clinical subject in 2013, the simulation experience was run over two campuses within a large Australian University. Participants included 528 second year undergraduate nursing students and 8 academic teaching staff. Outcome Mapping: To stimulate reflective learning debriefing immediately followed the simulation experience. Written reflections were completed and submitted over the following 4 weeks to extend the reflective learning process and review the impact of the experience from the student perspective. Conclusions: Undergraduate student nurses often have limited experiential background from which to draw knowledge and develop sound clinical judgements. Through exposure to clinical experiences in a safe environment, simulation technologies have been shown to create positive learning experiences and improve deductive reasoning and analysis. The heightened awareness of interruptions and their impacts on the medication administration process, along with techniques to manage interruptions more effectively serves to better prepare nurses for practice

On ordinal utility, cardinal utility, and random utility

Though the Random Utility Model (RUM) was conceived  entirely in terms of ordinal utility, the apparatus throughwhich it is widely practised exhibits properties of  cardinal utility.  The adoption of cardinal utility as a  working operation of ordinal is perfectly valid, provided  interpretations drawn from that operation remain faithful  to ordinal utility.  The paper considers whether the latterrequirement holds true for several measurements commonly  derived from RUM.  In particular it is found that  measurements of consumer surplus change may depart from  ordinal utility, and exploit the cardinality inherent in  the practical apparatus.

Pondering practice: Enhancing the art of reflection

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the effect that immersive simulation experiences and guided reflection can have on the undergraduate nurses' understanding of how stressful environments impact their emotions, performance and ability to implement safe administration of medications. Background: Patient safety can be jeopardised if nurses are unsure of how to appropriately manage and respond to interruptions. Medication administration errors are a major patient safety issue and often occur as a consequence of ineffective interruption management. The skills associated with medication administration are most often taught to, and performed by, undergraduate nurses in a controlled environment. However, the clinical environment in which nurses are expected to administer medications is often highly stressed and nurses are frequently interrupted. Design/Methods: This study used role-play simulation and written reflections to facilitate deeper levels of student self-awareness. A qualitative approach was taken to explore students' understanding of the effects of interruptions on their ability to undertake safe medication administration. Convenience sampling of second-year undergraduate nursing students enrolled in a medical–surgical subject was used in this study. Data were obtained from 451:528 (85.42%) of those students and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Students reported increasing consciousness and the importance of reflection for evaluating performance and gaining self-awareness. They described self-awareness, effective communication, compassion and empathy as significant factors in facilitating self-efficacy and improved patient care outcomes. Conclusions: Following a role-play simulation experience, student nurses reported new knowledge and skill acquisition related to patient safety, and new awareness of the need for empathetic and compassionate care during medication administration. Practicing medication administration in realistic settings adds to current strategies that aim to reduce medication errors by allowing students to reflect on and in practice and develop strategies to ensure patient safety. Relevance to clinical practice: Experiencing clinical scenarios within the safety of simulated environments, offers undergraduate student nurses an opportunity to reflect on practice to provide safer, more empathetic and compassionate care for patients in the future

Calm to chaos: Engaging undergraduate nursing students with the complex nature of interruptions during medication administration

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aims and Objectives: To describe undergraduate student nurse responses to a simulated role-play experience focussing on managing interruptions during medication administration. Background: Improving patient safety requires that we find creative and innovative methods of teaching medication administration to undergraduate nurses in real-world conditions. Nurses are responsible for the majority of medication administrations in health care. Incidents and errors associated with medications are a significant patient safety issue and often occur as a result of interruptions. Undergraduate nursing students are generally taught medication administration skills in a calm and uninterrupted simulated environment. However, in the clinical environment medication administration is challenged by multiple interruptions. Design/Methods: A qualitative study using convenience sampling was used to examine student perceptions of a simulated role-play experience. Data were collected from 451 of a possible 528 student written reflective responses and subject to thematic analysis. Results: Students reported an increased understanding of the impacts of interruptions while administering medications and an improved awareness of how to manage disruptions. This study reports on one of three emergent themes: “Calm to chaos: engaging with the complex nature of clinical practice.”. Conclusions: Interrupting medication administration in realistic and safe settings facilitates awareness, allows for students to begin to develop management strategies in relation to interruption and increases their confidence. Students were given the opportunity to consolidate and integrate prior and new knowledge and skills through this role-play simulation

Venom costs and optimization in scorpions

Scorpions use venoms as weapons to improve prey capture and predator defense, and these benefits must be balanced against costs associated with its use. Venom costs involve direct energetic costs associated with the production and storage of toxins, and indirect fitness costs arising from reduced venom availability. In order to reduce these costs, scorpions optimize their venom use via evolutionary responses, phenotypic plasticity, and behavioral mechanisms. Over long timescales, evolutionary adaptation to environments with different selection pressures appears to have contributed to interspecific variation in venomcomposition and stingermorphology. Furthermore, plastic responses may allow scorpions to modify and optimize their venom composition as pressures change. Optimal venomuse can vary when facing each prey itemand potential predator encountered, and therefore scorpions display a range of behaviors to optimize their venom use to the particular situation. These behaviors include varying sting rates, employing dry stings, and further altering the volume and composition of venom injected. Whilst these cost-reducing mechanisms are recognized in scorpions, relatively little is understood about the factors that influence them. Here, we review evidence of the costs associated with venom use in scorpions and discuss the mechanisms that have evolved to minimize them

The effect of root exudates on rhizosphere water dynamics

L.J.C. and N.K. are funded by BBSRC SARISA BB/L025620/1, L.J.C. is also funded by EPSRC EP/P020887/1. K.R.D. is funded by ERC 646809DIMR. P.D.H. and T.S.G. are funded by BBSRC BB/J00868/1. The James Hutton Institute receives funding from the Scottish Government. T.R. is funded by BBSRC SARISA BB/L025620/1, EPSRC EP/M020355/1, ERC 646809DIMR, BBSRC SARIC BB/P004180/1 and NERC NE/L00237/1. Data supporting this study are available on request from the University of Southampton repository at https://doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/D0609 [35].Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Modelling long-distance route choice using mobile phone call detail record data: A case study of Senegal

The growing mobile phone penetration rates have led to the emergence of large-scale call detail records (CDRs) that could serve as a low-cost data source for travel behaviour modelling. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no previous study evaluating the potential of CDR data in the context of route choice behaviour modelling. Being event-driven, the data are discontinuous and only able to yield partial trajectories, thus presenting serious challenges for route identification. This paper proposes techniques for inferring the users' chosen routes or subsets of their likely routes from partial CDR trajectories, as well as data fusion with external sources of information such as route costs, and then adapts the broad choice framework to the current modelling scenario. The model results show that CDR data can capture the expected travel behaviour and the derived values of travel time are found to be realistic for the study area