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Survey to explore understanding of the principles of aseptic technique: Qualitative content analysis with descriptive analysis of confidence and training
BACKGROUND: In many countries, aseptic procedures are undertaken by nurses in the general ward setting, but variation in practice has been reported, and evidence indicates that the principles underpinning aseptic technique are not well understood.
METHODS: A survey was conducted, employing a brief, purpose-designed, self-reported questionnaire.
RESULTS: The response rate was 72%. Of those responding, 65% of nurses described aseptic technique in terms of the procedure used to undertake it, and 46% understood the principles of asepsis. The related concepts of cleanliness and sterilization were frequently confused with one another. Additionally, 72% reported that they not had received training for at least 5 years; 92% were confident of their ability to apply aseptic technique; and 90% reported that they had not been reassessed since their initial training. Qualitative analysis confirmed a lack of clarity about the meaning of aseptic technique.
CONCLUSION: Nurses' understanding of aseptic technique and the concepts of sterility and cleanliness is inadequate, a finding in line with results of previous studies. This knowledge gap potentially places patients at risk. Nurses' understanding of the principles of asepsis could be improved. Further studies should establish the generalizability of the study findings. Possible improvements include renewed emphasis during initial nurse education, greater opportunity for updating knowledge and skills post-qualification, and audit of practice
Chiral extrapolation of lattice moments of proton quark distributions
We present the resolution of a long-standing discrepancy between the moments
of parton distributions calculated from lattice QCD and their experimental
values. We propose a simple extrapolation formula for the moments of the
nonsinglet quark distribution u-d, as a function of quark mass, which embodies
the general constraints imposed by the chiral symmetry of QCD. The inclusion of
the leading nonanalytic behavior leads to an excellent description of both the
lattice data and the experimental values of the moments.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Physical Review Letter
Paying clinicians to join clinical trials : a review of guidelines and interview study of trialists
Background: The motivations of clinicians to participate in clinical trials have been little studied. This project explored the potential role of payment for participation in publicly funded clinical trials in the UK. The aims were to review relevant guidelines and to collate and analyse views of clinical trialists on the role of payments and other factors that motivated clinicians to join clinical trials.
Methods: Review of guidelines governing payments to clinicians for recruitment to trials. Semistructured
interviews with a range of NHS clinical trial leaders, analysed using qualititative methods.
Results: While UK guidelines had little to say specifically on payments linked to recruitment, all payments have become highly regulated and increasingly transparent. Interview participants believed that expenses arising from research should be covered. Payments in excess of expenses
were seen as likely to increase participation but with the risk of reducing quality. Motivations such
as interest in the topic, the scope for patients to benefit and intellectual curiosity were considered more important. Barriers to involvement included bureaucracy and lack of time.
Discussion: Limited scope exists for paying clinicians over-and-above the cost of their time to be involved in research. Most trialists favour full payment of all expenses related to research.
Conclusion: Payment of clinicians beyond expenses is perceived to be a less important motivating factor than researching important, salient questions, and facilitating research by reducing bureaucracy and delay
An Alternative Method to Obtain the Quark Polarization of the Nucleon
An alternate method is described to extract the quark contribution to the
spin of the nucleon directly from the first moment of the deuteron structure
function, . It is obtained without recourse to the use of input on the
nucleon wave function from hyperon decays involving the flavor symmetry
parameters, F and D. The result for the quark polarization of the nucleon,
is in good agreement with the values of the singlet axial
current matrix element, , obtained from recent next-to-leading order
analyses of current proton, neutron and deuteron data.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur
Gluon distributions in nucleons and pions at a low resolution scale
In this paper we study the gluon distribution functions in nucleons and pions
at a low resolution scale. This is an important issue since parton
densities at low have always been taken as an external input which is
adjusted through DGLAP evolution to fit the experimental data at higher scales.
Here, in the framework of a model recently developed, it is shown that the
hypothetical cloud of {\it neutral} pions surrounding nucleons and pions
appears to be responsible for the characteristic valence-like gluon
distributions needed at the inital low scale. As an additional result, we get
the remarkable prediction that neutral and charged pions have different
intrinsic sea flavor contents.Comment: final version to appear in Phys. Rev. D. Discussion on several points
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dbar/ubar Asymmetry and the Origin of the Nucleon Sea
The Drell-Yan cross section ratios, , measured in
Fermilab E866, have led to the first determination of ,
, and the integral of for the
proton over the range . The E866 results are compared
with predictions based on parton distribution functions and various theoretical
models. The relationship between the E866 results and the NMC measurement of
the Gottfried integral is discussed. The agreement between the E866 results and
models employing virtual mesons indicates these non-perturbative processes play
an important role in the origin of the , asymmetry in the
nucleon sea.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, ReVTe
Physics at a Neutrino Factory
In response to the growing interest in building a Neutrino Factory to produce
high intensity beams of electron- and muon-neutrinos and antineutrinos, in
October 1999 the Fermilab Directorate initiated two six-month studies. The
first study, organized by N. Holtkamp and D. Finley, was to investigate the
technical feasibility of an intense neutrino source based on a muon storage
ring. This design study has produced a report in which the basic conclusion is
that a Neutrino Factory is technically feasible, although it requires an
aggressive R&D program. The second study, which is the subject of this report,
was to explore the physics potential of a Neutrino Factory as a function of the
muon beam energy and intensity, and for oscillation physics, the potential as a
function of baseline.Comment: 133 pages, 64 figures. Report to the Fermilab Directorate. Available
from http://www.fnal.gov/projects/muon_collider/ This version fixes some
printing problem
Models for the Polarized Parton Distributions of the Nucleon
Polarized deep inelastic scattering (DIS) data are analyzed in leading and
next-to-leading order of QCD within the common `standard' scenario of polarized
parton distributions with a flavor-symmetric light sea (antiquark) distribution
, and a completely SU(3) broken `valence' scenario with
totally flavor-asymmetric light sea densities
. The latter flavor-broken
light sea distributions are modelled with the help of a Pauli-blocking ansatz
at the low radiative/dynamical input scales of
(0.40) GeV which complies with predictions of the chiral quark-soliton
model and expectations based on the statistical parton model as well as with
the corresponding, well established, flavor-broken unpolarized sea
(). Present semi-inclusive DIS data cannot yet uniquely
discriminate between those two flavor-symmetric and flavor-broken polarized
light sea scenarios.Comment: 39 pages, LaTe
Parton energy loss limits and shadowing in Drell-Yan dimuon production
A precise measurement of the ratios of the Drell-Yan cross section per
nucleon for an 800 GeV/c proton beam incident on Be, Fe and W targets is
reported. The behavior of the Drell-Yan ratios at small target parton momentum
fraction is well described by an existing fit to the shadowing observed in
deep-inelastic scattering. The cross section ratios as a function of the
incident parton momentum fraction set tight limits on the energy loss of quarks
passing through a cold nucleus
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