“The Ultimate in Care” An exploration of the way clinical educators harness experiences of death and dying

This study looked at the lived experiences of clinical nurse educators who work with undergraduate nursing students in a hospital setting. It employed a phenomenological approach to focus on nurses’ personal experiences of death and dying. In particular this paper examined how nurses perceive the way the experiences influences the way that they instruct their students Informal interviews with four nurses were audio taped and transcribed. Rich descriptions of emotions which emerged are discussed in detail. Data were analysed using the Colaizzi method of analysis and common themes were identified. They included remaining professional, Humanizing stories and teaching different levels of undergraduates. These themes were evaluated in terms of their value of meaning for students and the possible implication for clinical care. The literature examined relevant to the study has previously identified the importance of nurses knowing the meaning of end of life care; caring and empathy; student nurses’ perception and the need for student belongingness. The study has added to the field by identifying the importance of nurses sharing personal experiences to enhance student learning in this already difficult area of nursing

Calorimetric studies of small-molecule adsorption to carbon nanotubes

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemistry, 2009.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Vita.Includes bibliographical references (p. 41-43).Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was developed as a technique for qualitatively comparing the heat of absorption of small molecules to single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). In agreement with other studies, it was shown that polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that can achieve a greater degree of n-orbital overlap with the curved surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) adsorb more strongly. ITC studies also indicated that adsorption of a in-basic metalloaromatic gold pyrazolate trimer, [Au(3,5- Et2Pz)] 3, to SWCNTs in DMF is accompanied by a large negative enthalpy change, while the structurally-related it-acidic macrocycle, [Hg(C 6F4)]3, does not have a large enthalpy of adsorption. This result agrees with previous studies indicating that CNT binding energy depends upon the polarizability of the ligand. Molecules with large CNT binding affinity have potential for use in CNT-based sensing applications, serving to anchor analyte receptors to the surface of CNTs. In this context, a phosphoresorcin[4]arene decorated with four pendant pyrene moieties was investigated as a bifunctional SWCNT adsorbent and receptor for sensing biogenic amines. Though the cooperative binding effect of the pendant pyrene moietites effectively tethers the cavitand receptor to CNTs, primary ammonium salts do not bind to the cavitand more strongly than to the SWCNT surface. Highly selective receptors with large binding affiniites for both CNTs and analyte are necessary to optimize CNT-based sensing technologies. ITC can be useful tool for identifying effective receptor molecules.by Kristin Lena Glab.S.M