Hybrid Learning to Develop Safe Patient Handling Judgement in Occupational Therapy Students

The goal of this mixed methods pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of a hybrid pedagogy to develop safe patient handling knowledge, self-efficacy, and skills in occupational therapy students. Developing safety judgment is integral to occupational therapy education programs, which requires the deepening of knowledge associations. As evidence suggests, patient handling is taught in academic programs with traditional pedagogy. Safe patient handling requires teaching the breadth of the most relevant and contemporary theory and techniques. A growing body of evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of online education. The project author developed an evidence-based hybrid pedagogical approach that included four narrated online modules with video, photos, and asynchronous threaded discussions and a fifth hands-on lab and a case-based competency assessment module. Sixteen occupational therapy students participated in the study. Paired t-test results validated the effectiveness of the hybrid model with statistically significant pre- to post-test improvements in knowledge and self-efficacy. Content analysis of asynchronous threaded discussions and open-ended pre- and post-test responses provided evidence of improved knowledge and self-efficacy. Synthesis of the quantitative and qualitative data provided evidence to suggest improvements in judgment. The case-based competency assessment results demonstrated 75% of the students achieved the level of accomplished performance on their first attempt. Results indicated the desire for additional hands-on practice with instructor feedback to promote further skill development. Students learned safe patient handling when curriculum reflected the complexities of patient handling with adequate opportunities for problem-solving and hands-on experiences coupled with instructor feedback

Pulse shape analysis in segmented detectors as a technique for background reduction in Ge double-beta decay experiments

The need to understand and reject backgrounds in Ge-diode detector double-beta decay experiments has given rise to the development of pulse shape analysis in such detectors to discern single-site energy deposits from multiple-site deposits. Here, we extend this analysis to segmented Ge detectors to study the effectiveness of combining segmentation with pulse shape analysis to identify the multiplicity of the energy deposits.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, will be submitted to NI

Very high rotational frequencies and band termination in 73Br

Rotational bands in 73Br have been investigated up to spins of 65/2 using the EUROBALL III spectrometer. One of the negative-parity bands displays the highest rotational frequency 1.85 MeV reported to date in nuclei with mass number greater than 25. At high frequencies, the experimental dynamic moment of inertia for all bands decrease to very low values, indicating a loss of collectivity. The bands are described in the configuration-dependent cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky model. The calculations indicate that one of the negative-parity bands is observed up to its terminating single-particle state at spin 63/2. This result establishes the first band termination case in the A = 70 mass region.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. C as a Rapid Communicatio

AGATA, Technical Proposal for an Advanced Gamma Tracking Array for the European Gamma Spectroscopy Community

International audienceAn Advanced GAmma-ray Tracking Array, AGATA, is proposed for high-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy with exotic beams. AGATA will employ highly segmented Ge detectors as well as fully digital electronics and relies on newly developed pulse-shape analysis and tracking methods. The array is being designed in a way that it provides optimal properties for nuclear structure experiments in a wide range of beam velocities (from stopped to v/c ≈ 50%), almost independent of beam quality and background conditions. Selectivity and sensitivity of AGATA will be superior to any existing γ-array by several orders of magnitude. Hence, it will be for a long time a rich source for nuclear structure physics providing the means for new discoveries and opening challenging new perspectives. This document is the initial proposal sent to the European Commission to obtain the necessary funds for the project

Coulomb excitation of 68^{68}Ni at safe energies

The $B(E2;0^+\to2^+)$ value in $^{68}$Ni has been measured using Coulomb excitation at safe energies. The $^{68}$Ni radioactive beam was post-accelerated at the ISOLDE facility (CERN) to 2.9 MeV/u. The emitted $\gamma$ rays were detected by the MINIBALL detector array. A kinematic particle reconstruction was performed in order to increase the measured c.m. angular range of the excitation cross section. The obtained value of 2.8$^{+1.2}_{-1.0}$ 10$^2$ e$^2$fm$^4$ is in good agreement with the value measured at intermediate energy Coulomb excitation, confirming the low $0^+\to2^+$ transition probability.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

A one-dimensional lattice model for a quantum mechanical free particle

Two types of particles, A and B with their corresponding antiparticles, are defined in a one dimensional cyclic lattice with an odd number of sites. In each step of time evolution, each particle acts as a source for the polarization field of the other type of particle with nonlocal action but with an effect decreasing with the distance: A -->...\bar{B} B \bar{B} B \bar{B} ... ; B --> A \bar{A} A \bar{A} A ... . It is shown that the combined distribution of these particles obeys the time evolution of a free particle as given by quantum mechanics.Comment: 8 pages. Revte

Using an Accessible Room Multisensory Stimulation Environment to Reduce Dementia Associated Behaviors

Objectives: To reveal whether an accessible open floorplan Multisensory Stimulation Environment (MSSE) room design has a positive impact as a nonpharmacologic intervention for episodes of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) in older adults living in a Memory Care Assisted Living (MCAL) facility as well as reducing the need for direct care supervision. Methods: Retrospective pre/post cohort design of 24 residents living in a Midwest MCAL facility in the United States with a diagnosis of dementia and over 65 years of age, analyzed by secondary medical chart review for 12 months to assess impact of an accessible open floorplan MSSE room design. The pre/post design analyzed secondary data over two periods of time; 6 months prior to the MSSE installation and 6 months following the MSSE installation. Results: Following the installation of an open floorplan MSSE, the number of observed BPSD episodes changed from 367 (17%) pre-test to 298 (10%) post-test over a 12-month time period. The Comparison of Proportions test determined that the difference in the proportion of BPSD episodes documented was statistically significant with clinical implications. Conclusions: The accessible open floorplan MSSE room design, located within a single-site MCAL facility, utilized as a nonpharmacological intervention for BPSD, was found in this explorative study to be effective and potentially clinically meaningful in improving behavioral episodes for older adults diagnosed with dementia in MCAL settings

Level structure of 69Se

15 págs.; 9 figs.; 5 tabs. ; PACS number(s): 23.20.Lv, 21.10.Re, 27.50.1e, 21.60.2nExcited levels in 69Se have been studied using the 40Ca(32S,2pn)69Se reaction at 95- and 105-MeV beam energy, γ rays have been detected with the EUROBALL spectrometer operated in conjunction with the neutron wall and the charged-particle detector array EUCLIDES. New level sequences with positive and negative parities have been identified from n-γγ and n-γγγ coincidences. Spins have been assigned to many of the levels on the basis of angular distribution and directional correlation measurements. Excitation energies of the positive-parity yrast band and the branching ratios of its decay are compared with the predictions of the rigid triaxial rotor plus particle model. ©2004 The American Physical SocietyA. J. acknowledges financial support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinshaft (DPG) within the Heisenberg program. This work was supported by BMBF under Contract Nos. 06 OK 958 and 06 GÖ 951 and the EUROVIV Contract No. HPRI-CT-1999-000783.Peer Reviewe

Four-quasiparticle alignments in 66Ge

13 págs.; 7 figs.; 1 tab. ; PACS number(s): 23.20.Lv, 21.10.Re, 25.70.Hi, 27.50.1eThe neutron-deficient nucleus 66Ge was populated at high spin in two experiments using the reaction 40Ca(32S, α2p) at beam energies of 105 and 95 MeV. In the first experiment, a self-supporting 40Ca target was used, while a gold-backed target of similar thickness was used in the second experiment, γ rays were detected with the EUROBALL array, combined with the charged-particle detector array EUCLIDES and the Neutron Wall. The level scheme of 66Ge was extended up to E ≈ 18 MeV and Iπ = (23-). Above angular momentum 10+, we found two sequences, connected by energetically staggered ΔI = 1 M 1 transitions. The total Routhian surface calculations describe 66Ge at lower spins as a γ-soft nucleus having a moderate deformation of β2 ≈ 0.23, while a triaxial deformation is predicted for the band structures above Iπ = 10+. To our knowledge, this is the first observation of staggered Ml transitions in a deformed four-quasiparticle π(g9/2 2) ν(g9/2 2) structure. ©2003 American Physical SocietyThis work was supported by BMBF 06 GO¨ 951 and TMR/LSF Contract No. HPRI-CT-1999-00078. The authors are indebted to the crew of the VIVITRON accelerator and the EUROBALL facility at IReS for their dedicated efforts and cooperation.Peer Reviewe