Using Social Network Analysis on classroom video data

We propose a novel application of Social Network Analysis (SNA) using classroom video data as a means of quantitatively and visually exploring the collaborations between students. The context for our study was a summer program that works with first generation students and deaf/hard-of-hearing students to engage in authentic science practice and develop a supportive community. We applied SNA to data from one activity during the two-week program to test our approach and as a means to begin to assess whether the goals of the program are being met. We used SNA to identify groups that were interacting in unexpected ways and then to highlight how individuals were contributing to the overall group behavior. We plan to expand our new use of SNA to video data on a larger scale

A selected history of expectation bias in physics

The beliefs of physicists can bias their results towards their expectations in a number of ways. We survey a variety of historical cases of expectation bias in observations, experiments, and calculations.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Automatic dispensing cabinets and governance of controlled drugs: an exploratory study in an intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: Governance of controlled drugs (CDs) in hospitals is resource intensive but important for patient safety and policy compliance. OBJECTIVES: To explore whether and how storing CDs in an automated dispensing cabinet (ADC) in a children's hospital intensive care unit (ICU) contributes to the effectiveness and efficiency of CD governance. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods exploratory study, comprising observations, interviews and audits, 3 months after ADC implementation. We observed 54 hours of medications activities in the ICU medication room (with 42 hours of timed data); interviewed nurses (n=19), management (n=1) and pharmacy staff (n=3); reviewed 6 months of ICU incident reports pertaining to CD governance; audited 6 months of CD register data and extracted logs of all ADC transactions for the 3 months following implementation. Data analysis focused on four main CD governance activities: safekeeping/controlling access, documenting use, monitoring, and reporting/investigating. RESULTS: Nurses and pharmacists perceived spending less time on CD governance tasks with the ADC. The ADC supported CD governance through automated documentation of CD transactions; 'blind counts'; automated count discrepancy checks; electronic alerts and reporting functionalities. It changed quality and distribution of governance tasks, such as removing the requirement for 'nurses with keys' to access CDs, and allowing pharmacists to generate reports remotely, rather than reviewing registers on the ward. For CDs in the ADC, auditing and monitoring appeared to be ongoing rather than periodic. Such changes appeared to create positive reinforcing loops. However, the ADC also created challenges for CD governance. Most importantly, it was not suitable for all CDs, leading to workarounds and parallel use of a safe plus paper registers. CONCLUSIONS: ADCs can significantly alter CDs governance in clinical areas. Effects of an ADC on efficiency and effectiveness of governance tasks appear to be complex, going beyond simple time savings or more stringent controls

Anti-ulcer (ulcer-preventive) activity of ficus arnottiana miq. (moraceae) leaf methanolic extract

Problem statement: In spite of being one of the well-known medicinal plants used in Indian traditional medicine to treat several ailments, studies pertaining to the pharmacological properties of Ficus arnottiana are very scarce. We studied the anti-ulcer activity and acute toxicity of Ficus arnottiana leaf methanolic extract for the first time. Approach: Freshly collected F. arnottiana leaves were dried, powdered and extracted in methanol. To study the anti-ulcer activity, Wistar rats were orally administered with different doses of the extract (0, 250 and 500 mg kg-1 body weight day-1) or with the reference drug omeprazole (8 mg kg-1) for 10 days. After induction of ulcer using 5 mL kg-1 ethanol, stomachs of these animals were analyzed for gastric volume, ulcer area and gross pathological changes. Results: Our results showed that F. arnottiana methanolic extract could prevent ulcer in rats in a dose-dependent manner. Histological studies revealed that the extract had mucoprotective activity. The extract did not show any acute toxicity even at the dose of 5000 mg kg-1 indicating that the extract has no lethal effect. Preliminary phytochemical screening of this extract identified the presence of important secondary metabolites like flavonoids and tannins. Conclusion/Recommendations: From this study, it is clear that F. arnottiana leaf extract had significant anti-ulcer activity in animal models. It had muco-protective activity and gastric antisecretary activity. The extract is non-toxic even at relatively high concentrations.(undefined

Lightweight XML-based query, integration and visualization of distributed, multimodality brain imaging data

A need of many neuroimaging researchers is to integrate multimodality brain data that may be stored in separate databases. To address this need we have developed a framework that provides a uniform XML-based query interface across multiple online data sources. The development of this framework is driven by the need to integrate neurosurgical and neuroimaging data related to language. The data sources for the language studies are 1) a web-accessible relational database of neurosurgical cortical stimulation mapping data (CSM) that includes patient-specific 3-D coordinates of each stimulation site mapped to an MRI reconstruction of the patient brain surface; and 2) an XML database of fMRI and structural MRI data and analysis results, created automatically by a batch program we have embedded in SPM. To make these sources available for querying each is wrapped as an XML view embedded in a web service. A top level web application accepts distributed XQueries over the sources, which are dispatched to the underlying web services. Returned results can be displayed as XML, HTML, CSV (Excel format), a 2-D schematic of a parcellated brain, or a 3-D brain visualization. In the latter case the CSM patient-specific coordinates returned by the query are sent to a transformation web-service for conversion to normalized space, after which they are sent to our 3-D visualization program MindSeer, which is accessed via Java WebStart through a generated link. The anatomical distribution of pooled CSM sites can then be visualized using various surfaces derived from brain atlases. As this framework is further developed and generalized we believe it will have appeal for researchers who wish to query, integrate and visualize results across their own databases as well as those of collaborators

Energetics of Quantum Antidot States in Quantum Hall Regime

We report experiments on the energy structure of antidot-bound states. By measuring resonant tunneling line widths as function of temperature, we determine the coupling to the remote global gate voltage and find that the effects of interelectron interaction dominate. Within a simple model, we also determine the energy spacing of the antidot bound states, self consistent edge electric field, and edge excitation drift velocity.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, 5 Postscript figure

Challenges of Digital Commons: A Qualitative Study of an Automated Dispensing Cabinet in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

Missed medication doses can affect patient safety in hospitals. The use of automated dispensing cabinets (ADC) in clinical areas may reduce the occurrence of medications being unavailable at the time of need by alerting pharmacy to replenish stock. However, workarounds in ADC use can affect this capability. We studied nurses' use of an ADC in a paediatric intensive care unit with  54 hours of observation, semi-structure interviews (19 nurses; 4 pharmacy/management staff) and review of reported incidents. We found running out of medication a recurrent problem despite the ADC. Contributing factors affecting data entry in the ADC, and therefore replenishment alerts to pharmacy, included: the organisation of medication activities in the ward, nurses' information needs, patients' medication needs, and ADC design. Running out of medications was a 'tragedy of the commons'. Effective solutions may require going beyond user training and directives for accurate data entry, to work process redesign

Generalized second-order partial derivatives of 1/r

The generalized second-order partial derivatives of 1/r, where r is the radial distance in 3D, are obtained using a result of the potential theory of classical analysis. Some non-spherical regularization alternatives to the standard spherical-regularization expression for the derivatives are derived. The utility of a spheroidal-regularization expression is illustrated on an example from classical electrodynamics.Comment: 12 pages; as accepted for publication by European Journal of Physic

Evaluation of an Automated Dispensing Cabinet in Paediatric Intensive Care - Focus on Controlled Medications

Evidence is limited of automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) impact on effectiveness and efficiency of controlled drugs' (CDs) governance processes. We carried out a mixed-methods study of an ADC in an intensive care unit. We found ADC improved effectiveness and efficiency of governance of CDs through secure storage, alerts and automated recording of transactions. Limitations were associated with ADC design and 'fit' between ADC and some types of CDs