A Comparative Analysis of the Impact of University Field Supervision on Administrative Mindsets: Considerations for Redesign

The purpose of this study was to evaluate perceptions of principal preparation program candidates regarding the impact professional coaching and field supervision had on the development of their administrative mindsets. A secondary purpose was to determine if there was a significant difference in perceptions regarding the impact that professional coaching and field supervision had on administrative mindsets when comparing students who received face-to-face field supervision and coaching activities to those involved in online field supervision and coaching activities. Forty percent of the 150 principal candidates contacted in this study responded to a survey regarding their practicum field experiences. Candidates noted that both the online medium and face-to-face medium were positive in contributing to their professional growth and learning within the program. Inferential tests revealed little if any significant difference regarding the perceived impact online field supervision activities had on developing administrative mindsets as compared to those participating in face-to-face field supervision activities

Superconducting Films for Absorber-Coupled MKID Detectors for Sub-Millimeter and Far-Infrared Astronomy

We describe measurements of the properties, at dc, gigahertz, and terahertz frequencies, of thin (10 nm) aluminum films with 10 ohm/{rm square}$ normal state sheet resistance. Such films can be applied to construct microwave kinetic inductance detector arrays for submillimeter and far-infrared astronomical applications in which incident power excites quasiparticles directly in a superconducting resonator that is configured to present a matched-impedance to the high frequency radiation being detected. For films 10 nm thick, we report normal state sheet resistance, resistance-temperature curves for the superconducting transition, quality factor and kinetic inductance fraction for microwave resonators made from patterned films, and terahertz measurements of sheet impedance measured with a Fourier Transform Spectrometer. We compare properties with similar resonators made from niobium 600 nm thick

Silent ischemia: Evaluation by exercise and redistribution tomographic thallium-201 myocardial imaging

AbstractTo compare the amount of myocardium jeopardized during silent ischemia and painful ischemia, 112 consecutive patients undergoing coronary arteriography with ischemia demonstrated by exercise and redistribution tomographic thallium-201 myocardial imaging (SPECT) were divided into two groups: 84 patients without anginal pain (silent ischemia) and 28 with pain (painful ischemia). The SPECT apical, mid and basal ventricular levels of the short-axis view and the apical portion of the long-axis view were divided into 20 segments.The results were 1) 7.4 ± 4.7 ischemic segments in silent ischemia and 7.6 ± 3.7 in painful ischemia (p = NS) with 4.7 ± 3.6 segments in silent ischemia undergoing total redistribution compared with 5.4 ± 3.4 in painful ischemia (p = NS); 2) no difference in the incidence of single, double or triple vessel disease between silent and painful ischemic groups; 3) similar anatomic distribution of ischemic segments between the two groups; 4) more positive exercise electrocardiographic (ECG) changes in painful ischemia (70%) than in silent ischemia (32%) (p < 0.001) with equal amounts of ischemia associated with positive and negative exercise ECG findings.Conclusions: 1) Patients with silent and painful ischemia during exercise have similar amounts of ischemic myocardium demonstrated by tomographic thallium-201 imaging and similar extent of angiographically documented coronary artery disease despite the absence of pain and the lower incidence of positive exercise ECG findings in silent ischemia. 2) Positive and negative exercise ECG findings were associated with similar amounts of ischemic myocardium

A randomised trial of an internet weight control resource: The UK Weight Control Trial [ISRCTN58621669]

BACKGROUND: Obesity treatment is notoriously unsuccessful and one of the barriers to successful weight loss reported by patients is a lack of social support. The Internet offers a novel and fast approach to the delivery of health information, enabling 24-hour access to help and advice. However, much of the health information available on the Internet is unregulated or not written by qualified health professionals to provide unbiased information. The proposed study aims to compare a web-based weight loss package with traditional dietary treatment of obesity in participants. The project aims to deliver high quality information to the patient and to evaluate the effectiveness of this information, both in terms of weight loss outcomes and cost-effectiveness. METHODS: This study is a randomised controlled trial of a weight loss package against usual care provided within General Practice (GP) surgeries in Leeds, UK. Participants will be recruited via posters placed in participating practices. A target recruitment figure of 220 will enable 180 people to be recruited (allowing for 22% dropout). Participants agreeing to take part in the study will be randomly allocated using minimisation to either the intervention group, receiving access to the Internet site, or the usual care group. The primary outcome of the study will be the ability of the package to promote change in BMI over 6 and 12 months compared with traditional treatment. Secondary outcomes will be the ability of the Internet package to promote change in reported lifestyle behaviours. Data will be collected on participant preferences, adherence to treatment, health care use and time off work. Difference in cost between groups in provision of the intervention and the cost of the primary outcome will also be estimated. CONCLUSION: A positive result from this study would enhance the repertoire of treatment approaches available for the management of obesity. A negative result would be used to inform the research agenda and contribute to redefining future strategies for tackling obesity

Overview of Security Plan for Offshore Floating Nuclear Plant

A new Offshore Floating Nuclear Plant (OFNP) concept with high potential for attractive economics and an unprecedented level of safety is presented, along with an overview of work done in the area of security. The OFNP creatively combines state-of-the-art Light Water Reactors (LWRs) with floating platforms such as those used in offshore oil/gas operations, both of which are well-established technologies which can allow implementation on a time scale consistent with combating climate change in the near future. OFNP is a plant that can be entirely built within a floating platform in a shipyard, transferred to the site. OFNP eliminates earthquakes and tsunamis as accident precursors; its ocean-based passive safety systems eliminate the loss of ultimate heat sink accident by design. The defense of an OFNP poses new security opportunities and challenges compared to land-based plants. Such a plant can be more easily defended by virtue of the clear 360 degree lines of sight and the relative ease of identifying surface threats. Conversely the offshore plant is potentially vulnerable to underwater approaches by mini-submarines and divers. We investigate security considerations of the OFNP applicable to two potential plant options, an OFNP-300 with a 300 MWe reactor, and an OFNP-1100 with an 1100 MWe reactor. Three innovative security system approaches could be combined for the offshore plant. The first is a comprehensive detection system which integrates radar, sonar and unmanned vehicles for a long distance overview of the vicinity of the plant. The second approach is the use of passive physical barriers about 100 meters from the plant, which will force a fast-moving power boat to lose speed or stop at the barrier allowing the plant security force more time to respond. The third approach takes advantage of the offshore plant siting and the monthly or biweekly rotation of crew to reduce the total on-plant and onshore security force by using the off-duty security force on the plant as a reserve force. Through the use of these approaches, the OFNP-300 should be able to achieve a similar security cost (on a per Megawatt basis) as land-based plants of similar or somewhat larger power rating. Due to non-linear scaling of cost, the security cost of the OFNP-1100 has the potential to be reduced significantly compared to its land-based equivalents

Prognostically controlled comparison of dialysis and renal transplantation

Prognostically controlled comparison of dialysis and renal transplantation. Because the comparison of survival in patients with renal failure treated by dialysis and transplantation may be biased by pretreatment prognostic differences in the patients who receive these two therapies, we quantified the pretreatment prognosis of all 430 dialysis and transplant patients who began therapy for end-stage renal disease at two hospitals from 1970 to 1980. Five pretreatment factors had a statistically significant adverse effect on survival: age, duration of diabetes, left ventricular failure, myocardial infarction, and other serious comorbid illness. Dialysis patients had a worse pretreatment prognosis than transplant patients did. When we controlled for these pretreatment differences, the actuarial 5-year patient survivals were 80% for dialysis (D), 79% for cadaver transplantation (CT), and 91% for living donor transplantation (LDT), (P = 0.9 for CT vs. D, and P = 0.05 for LDT vs. D). This similarity in survival with dialysis and cadaver transplantation was quite different from the results obtained when pretreatment prognosis was not controlled; the uncontrolled 5-year patient survivals were 43% for D, 77% for CT, and 89% for LDT (P < 0.001 for CT vs. D, and P < 0.001 for LDT vs. D). Our data suggest that the major factor determining differences in survival with dialysis and renal transplantation is not the relative efficacy of the two treatments but the pretreatment prognostic status of the patients chosen to receive them.Une comparaison contrôlée de façon pronostique entre la dialyse et la transplantation rénale. Puisque la comparaison de la survie des malades en insuffisance rénale traités par dialyse ou par transplantation peut être biaisée par des différences pronostiques pré-thérapeutiques entre les malades qui reçoivent ces deux traitements, nous avons quantifié le pronostic pré-thérapeutique de l'ensemble des 430 malades dialysés et transplantés qui ont commencé le traitement de leur insuffisance rénale dans deux hôpitaux de 1970 à 1980. Cinq facteurs préthérapeutiques possédaient un effet adverse statistiquement significatif sur la survie: l'âge, la durée du diabète, une insuffisance ventriculaire gauche, un infarctus du myocarde, et une autre maladie sérieuse associée. Les dialysés avaient un pronostic pré-thérapeutique plus mauvais que les transplantés. Lorsque nous avons contrôlé ces différences pré-thérapeutiques, la survie actuarielle à 5 ans des malades était de 80% pour la dialyse (D), 79% pour la transplantation cadavérique (CT), et 91% pour la transplantation avec donneur vivant (LDT) (P = 0,9 pour CT contre D, et P = 0,05 pour LDT contre D). Cette similitude de survie en dialyse ou après transplantation cadavérique était très différente des résultats obtenus lorsque le pronostic pré-thérapeutique n'était pas contrôlé; les survies non contrôlées à 5 ans des malades étaient de 43% pour D, 77% pour CT, et 89% pour LDT (P < 0,001 pour CT contre D, et P < 0,001 pour LDT contre D). Nos données suggèrent que le facteur principal déterminant les différences de survie en dialyse ou après transplantation rénale n'est pas l'efficacité relative des deux traitements, mais l'état pronostique pré-thérapeutique des malades choisis pour les recevoir