226 research outputs found
Mitigating risk in Norwegian psychiatric care:Identifying triggers of adverse events through Global Trigger Tool for psychiatric care
BACKGROUND: Patients treated in psychiatric care are exposed to the risk of adverse events, similar to patients treated in somatic health care. OBJECTIVES: In this article we report the findings of triggers associated with adverse events (AEs) identified by a version of the Global Trigger Tool - Psychiatry (GTT-P) adapted for Norwegian hospital-based psychiatric treatment. METHODS: The design was a retrospective analysis of a random sample of 240 patient records from a psychiatric clinic in one Norwegian hospital. Patient records were sampled from both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric clinics in hospitals serving the northern part of the county of Trøndelag, Norway. RESULTS: Our analysis was based on the identification of 32 potential triggers of adverse events. Eighteen of the triggers were significantly related to adverse events. No adverse events were identified in patient records that did not also contain triggers included in the Global Trigger Tool. CONCLUSIONS: There is a clear relationship between the presence of triggers in a patient record and the likelihood of adverse events. Particularly relevant for psychiatric patients is 'suffering' as a trigger and this may also be relevant to somatic care and has implications for inclusion in the GTT-P
Magnetic fields in the early universe in the string approach to MHD
There is a reformulation of magnetohydrodynamics in which the fundamental
dynamical quantities are the positions and velocities of the lines of magnetic
flux in the plasma, which turn out to obey equations of motion very much like
ideal strings. We use this approach to study the evolution of a primordial
magnetic field generated during the radiation-dominated era in the early
Universe. Causality dictates that the field lines form a tangled random
network, and the string-like equations of motion, plus the assumption of
perfect reconnection, inevitably lead to a self-similar solution for the
magnetic field power spectrum. We present the predicted form of the power
spectrum, and discuss insights gained from the string approximation, in
particular the implications for the existence or not of an inverse cascade.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure
Mobile Medical Education (MoMEd) - how mobile information resources contribute to learning for undergraduate clinical students - a mixed methods study
BACKGROUND:
Mobile technology is increasingly being used by clinicians to access up-to-date information for patient care. These offer learning opportunities in the clinical setting for medical students but the underlying pedagogic theories are not clear. A conceptual framework is needed to understand these further. Our initial questions were how the medical students used the technology, how it enabled them to learn and what theoretical underpinning supported the learning.
METHODS:
387 medical students were provided with a personal digital assistant (PDA) loaded with medical resources for the duration of their clinical studies. Outcomes were assessed by a mixed-methods triangulation approach using qualitative and quantitative analysis of surveys, focus groups and usage tracking data.
RESULTS:
Learning occurred in context with timely access to key facts and through consolidation of knowledge via repetition. The PDA was an important addition to the learning ecology rather than a replacement. Contextual factors impacted on use both positively and negatively. Barriers included concerns of interrupting the clinical interaction and of negative responses from teachers and patients. Students preferred a future involving smartphone platforms.
CONCLUSIONS:
This is the first study to describe the learning ecology and pedagogic basis behind the use of mobile learning technologies in a large cohort of undergraduate medical students in the clinical environment. We have developed a model for mobile learning in the clinical setting that shows how different theories contribute to its use taking into account positive and negative contextual factors.The lessons from this study are transferable internationally, to other health care professions and to the development of similar initiatives with newer technology such as smartphones or tablet computer
Peak grain forecasts for the US High Plains amid withering waters
Irrigated agriculture contributes 40% of total global food production. In the US High Plains, which produces more than 50 million tons per year of grain, as much as 90% of irrigation originates from groundwater resources, including the Ogallala aquifer. In parts of the High Plains, groundwater resources are being depleted so rapidly that they are considered nonrenewable, compromising food security. When groundwater becomes scarce, groundwater withdrawals peak, causing a subsequent peak in crop production. Previous descriptions of finite natural resource depletion have utilized the Hubbert curve. By coupling the dynamics of groundwater pumping, recharge, and crop production, Hubbert-like curves emerge, responding to the linked variations in groundwater pumping and grain production. On a state level, this approach predicted when groundwater withdrawal and grain production peaked and the lag between them. The lags increased with the adoption of efficient irrigation practices and higher recharge rates. Results indicate that, in Texas, withdrawals peaked in 1966, followed by a peak in grain production 9 y later. After better irrigation technologies were adopted, the lag increased to 15 y from 1997 to 2012. In Kansas, where these technologies were employed concurrently with the rise of irrigated grain production, this lag was predicted to be 24 y starting in 1994. In Nebraska, grain production is projected to continue rising through 2050 because of high recharge rates. While Texas and Nebraska had equal irrigated output in 1975, by 2050, it is projected that Nebraska will have almost 10 times the groundwater-based production of Texas
The Enigma of the Highest Energy Particles of Nature
Historically cosmic rays have always been at the intersection of astrophysics
with particle physics. This is still and especially true in current days where
experimenters routinely observe atmospheric showers from particles whose
energies reach macroscopic values up to about 50 Joules. This dwarfs energies
achieved in the laboratory by about eight orders of magnitude in the detector
frame and three orders of magnitude in the center of mass. While the existence
of these highest energy cosmic rays does not necessarily testify physics not
yet discovered, their macroscopic energies likely links their origin to the
most energetic processes in the Universe. Explanations range from conventional
shock acceleration to particle physics beyond the Standard Model and processes
taking place at the earliest moments of our Universe. While motivation for some
of the more exotic scenarios may have diminished by newest data, conventional
shock acceleration scenarios remain to be challenged by the apparent isotropy
of cosmic ray arrival directions which may not be easy to reconcile with a
highly structured and magnetized Universe. Fortunately, many new experimental
activities promise a strong increase of statistics at the highest energies and
a combination with gamma-ray and neutrino astrophysics will put strong
constraints on all these theoretical models. This short review is far from
complete and instead presents a selection of aspects regarded by the author as
interesting and/or promising for the future.Comment: 31 latex pages, 7 ps figures; draft of a review for Annals of
Physics, Comments, suggestions for improvements are highly appreciate
Level Set Method for the Evolution of Defect and Brane Networks
A theory for studying the dynamic scaling properties of branes and
relativistic topological defect networks is presented. The theory, based on a
relativistic version of the level set method, well-known in other contexts,
possesses self-similar ``scaling'' solutions, for which one can calculate many
quantities of interest. Here, the length and area densities of cosmic strings
and domain walls are calculated in Minkowski space, and radiation, matter, and
curvature-dominated FRW cosmologies with 2 and 3 space dimensions. The scaling
exponents agree the naive ones based on dimensional analysis, except for cosmic
strings in 3-dimensional Minkowski space, which are predicted to have a
logarithmic correction to the naive scaling form. The scaling amplitudes of the
length and area densities are a factor of approximately 2 lower than results
from numerical simulations of classical field theories. An expression for the
length density of strings in the condensed matter literature is corrected.Comment: 46pp LaTeX, revtex4(preprint), 1 eps figure, revised for publication.
Note title chang
Atlas of the clinical genetics of human dilated cardiomyopathy
[Abstract] Aim. Numerous genes are known to cause dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, until now technological limitations have hindered elucidation of the contribution of all clinically relevant disease genes to DCM phenotypes in larger cohorts. We now utilized next-generation sequencing to overcome these limitations and screened all DCM disease genes in a large cohort.
Methods and results. In this multi-centre, multi-national study, we have enrolled 639 patients with sporadic or familial DCM. To all samples, we applied a standardized protocol for ultra-high coverage next-generation sequencing of 84 genes, leading to 99.1% coverage of the target region with at least 50-fold and a mean read depth of 2415. In this well characterized cohort, we find the highest number of known cardiomyopathy mutations in plakophilin-2, myosin-binding protein C-3, and desmoplakin. When we include yet unknown but predicted disease variants, we find titin, plakophilin-2, myosin-binding protein-C 3, desmoplakin, ryanodine receptor 2, desmocollin-2, desmoglein-2, and SCN5A variants among the most commonly mutated genes. The overlap between DCM, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and channelopathy causing mutations is considerably high. Of note, we find that >38% of patients have compound or combined mutations and 12.8% have three or even more mutations. When comparing patients recruited in the eight participating European countries we find remarkably little differences in mutation frequencies and affected genes.
Conclusion. This is to our knowledge, the first study that comprehensively investigated the genetics of DCM in a large-scale cohort and across a broad gene panel of the known DCM genes. Our results underline the high analytical quality and feasibility of Next-Generation Sequencing in clinical genetic diagnostics and provide a sound database of the genetic causes of DCM.HĂ´pitaux de Paris; PHRC AOM0414
Projet Seine-Aval 6 PHARESEE « Productivité microphytobenthique des HAbitats intertidaux en lien avec la dynamique sédimentaire, biogéochimique et les ingénieurs d'écosystème de la faune benthique : implication pour des enjeux de modélisation et de REhabilitation des vasières de la SEine Estuarienne »
L'estuaire de la Seine est soumis Ă divers stress anthropiques et hydro-climatiques.
Cet écosystème côtier perd son caractère estuarien à cause d'aménagements qui ont eu
comme conséquence de voir disparaître de vastes surfaces de vasières intertidales. Ces
habitats fonctionnels jouent un rĂ´le majeur dans le fonctionnement Ă©cologique des estuaires,
car ils abritent des communautés méio- et macro-benthiques très diversifiées et représentent
la principale zone d’alimentation de nombreux vertébrés dont certains d’intérêt écologique ou
commercial majeur (e.g. poissons, oiseaux). La dynamique des vasières intertidales est
fortement influencée par les processus hydro-sédimentaires estuariens, étant tantôt source,
tantôt puits de sédiment. Elles constituent ainsi un élément essentiel des cycles
biogéochimiques se déroulant au sein des estuaires. Les caractéristiques morphologiques et
biogéochimiques de ces zones vont directement influencer les échanges de matière et
d’énergie qui s’y déroulent. Il est donc impératif d'avoir une approche pluridisciplinaire pour
comprendre leur fonctionnement.
Le projet PHARE-SEE avait pour objectif (i) de mieux comprendre le rĂ´le des
bioturbateurs et leur effet sur le microphytobenthos, les paramètres hydrosédimentaires et
biogéochimiques dans les vasières de l’estuaire de Seine et (ii) de développer un modèle de
production primaire microphytobenthique couplant l’ensemble des paramètres
susmentionnés.
Le premier objectif du projet a été réalisé en couplant expériences sur le terrain et en
laboratoire. Ainsi, des expériences d’exclusion/ensemencement de faune ont été menées sur
la vasière Nord, à l’aval de l’estuaire de Seine, et sur 2 faciès sédimentaires contrastés, avec
un suivi de la dynamique saisonnière du microphytobenthos et de l’ensemble des paramètres
biogéochimiques et hydrosédimentaires. De plus, des expériences en laboratoire ont été
réalisées, avec une évaluation des flux diffusifs de nutriments à 2 saisons contrastées
(hiver/été) en fonction du mélange sablo-vaseux et de l’intensité de la bioturbation par la
macrofaune benthique dominante de la vasière (le ver Hediste diversicolor et le bivalve
Scrobicularia plana).
Les expériences de terrain ont montré que l’effet saisonnier était plus prononcé que
celui des bioturbateurs sur l’ensemble des paramètres biogéochimiques dans le sédiment
(matière organique sédimentaire, processus et biomasse microbiens). Contrairement à la
matière organique sédimentaire, principalement d’origine terrigène, la matière organique
dissoute présente dans les eaux interstitielles, majoritairement d’origine autochtone, est
réactive et influencée par l’activité des bioturbateurs. Ces derniers ont une influence
prononcée sur l’érodabilité, avec un rôle biostabilisateur efficace pour Hediste diversicolor en
été comme en hiver et un rôle déstabilisateur pour Scrobicularia plana exclusivement en été.
Malgré des processus de consommations primaires très élevés et des pertes par érosion, le
niveau de production primaire microphytobenthique reste par ailleurs très important sur la
vasière. Les analyses réalisées ont également révélé le rôle majeur du microphytobenthos
dans le réseau trophique pour H. diversicolor, S. plana et la méiofaune (analyses isotopes
stables, collaboration projet SA6 SENTINELLES).
Les expériences en mésocosme, complémentaires de celles réalisées sur le terrain,
ont montré que l’activité de bioturbation des deux ingénieurs d’écosystème diffère quelle que
soit la saison. Ainsi, le processus de transport d’eau et des composés dissous (bioirrigation)
domine chez H. diversicolor, alors que l’activité de S. plana est dominée par le remaniement sédimentaire. Les flux biogéochimiques à l’interface eau-sédiment sont principalement
influencés par la bioirrigation. Enfin, il a été observé que S. plana consomme très activement
les biofilms microphytobenthiques et limite fortement leur capacité de développement, alors
que la biomasse microphytobenthique n’est pas affectée par les activités de Hediste. Cela
démontre que la consommation herbivore est totalement compensée par des effets positifs
liés probablement à la bioirrigation, activée de manière générale plus de 40 fois par Hediste.
Dans un second temps, ce projet proposait de modéliser la production primaire
microphytobenthique en relation avec la dynamique sédimentaire et les processus
biogéochimiques. Les données acquises via expériences en laboratoire et sur le terrain ont
servi à développer ce modèle. Ainsi, le modèle MARS3D en version Cross-shore 2DV a été
implémenté sur la vasière intertidale étudiée avec une très bonne qualité des simulations des
processus hydrosédimentaires et des variations altimétriques. L’intégration de l’effet de la
bioturbation et de la régulation de l’érodabilité des sédiments a permis d’améliorer encore la
qualité des simulations. Un modèle de diffusion thermique a été intégré, testé et amélioré en
termes d’interaction avec la composition sédimentaire. Le modèle biogéochimique BLOOM a
été intégré également dans le modèle MARS3D avec une dynamique biogéochimique
saisonnière bien représentée. Le modèle prend en compte le rôle des bioturbateurs sur les
flux diffusifs, mais une perspective d’amélioration doit être envisagée pour mieux reproduire
les flux à l’interface eau-sédiment et l’assimilation du NH4
+ par le microphytobenthos en
surface. Enfin, le modèle de la production primaire microphytobenthique a été implémenté
dans le code MARS3D et fournit des simulations de la dynamique spatio-temporelle des
biomasses microphytobenthiques intéressantes, même si les flux sont encore sous-estimés
dans le modèle et les interactions avec la faune doivent encore être améliorées.
Au final, les très nombreuses données issues du projet PHARESEE et le modèle
associé serviront à comprendre et relier les nombreux facteurs influençant le fonctionnement
des vasières et leurs rôles écosystémiques essentiels – rôle physique, de régulation sur les
cycles biogéochimiques et rôle de productivité biologique et soutien au réseau trophique. Des
travaux de synthèse ont été engagés en particulier pour tenter d’expliquer le haut niveau de
productivité actuel du système en lien avec la bonne santé des espèces sentinelles (ingénieurs
d’écosystèmes) de la macrofaune benthique
Experience Feedback Committee: a management tool to improve patient safety in mental health
BACKGROUND: A management tool, called the Experience Feedback Committee, has been applied for patient safety and successfully used in medical departments. The purpose of this study was to analyse the functioning of an Experience Feedback Committee in a psychiatric department and to explore its contribution to the particular issues of patient safety in mental health. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive study based on all the written documents produced by the Experience Feedback Committee between March 2010 and January 2013. The study was conducted in Grenoble University Hospital in France. We analysed all reported incidents, reports of meetings and event analysis reports. Adverse events were classified according to the Conceptual Framework for the International Classification for Patient Safety. RESULTS: A total of 30 meetings were attended by 22 professionals including seven physicians and 12 paramedical practitioners. We identified 475 incidents reported to the Experience Feedback Committee. Most of them (92Â %) had no medical consequence for the patient. Eleven incidents were investigated with an analysis method inspired by civil aviation security systems. Twenty-one corrective actions were set up, including eight responses to the specific problems of a mental health unit, such as training to respond to situations of violence or management of suicide attempts. CONCLUSIONS: The Experience Feedback Committee makes it possible to involve mental healthcare professionals directly in safety management. This tool seems appropriate to manage specific patient safety issues in mental health. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12991-015-0062-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users
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