Zeeman Slowers for Strontium based on Permanent Magnets

We present the design, construction, and characterisation of longitudinal- and transverse-field Zeeman slowers, based on arrays of permanent magnets, for slowing thermal beams of atomic Sr. The slowers are optimised for operation with deceleration related to the local laser intensity (by the parameter $\epsilon$), which uses more effectively the available laser power, in contrast to the usual constant deceleration mode. Slowing efficiencies of up to $\approx$ $18$ $$ are realised and compared to those predicted by modelling. We highlight the transverse-field slower, which is compact, highly tunable, light-weight, and requires no electrical power, as a simple solution to slowing Sr, well-suited to spaceborne application. For $^{88}$Sr we achieve a slow-atom flux of around $6\times 10^9$ atoms$\,$s$^{-1}$ at $30$ ms$^{-1}$, loading approximately $5\times 10^8$ atoms in to a magneto-optical-trap (MOT), and capture all isotopes in approximate relative natural abundances

From One to Many: Creating a Culture of Research Reputation

Faculty and the institutions they work for have increasingly strong needs to manage their research reputations. Syracuse University Libraries assists individuals and institutional offices in determining metrics such as the H index, citation counts, altmetrics, etc. and provides context to these metrics. The first presenter will illustrate how the Libraries provide assistance in managing one\u27s individual research reputation using subscription based and freely available tools. The second presenter will outline how institutional wide reputation is being cultivated in cooperation with other campus units. Lastly, the third presenter will discuss the value of and how a subscription based vendor is vital to helping individual researchers and institutions increase their research reputation. All three presenters will outline the resources needed to develop these tools and services - within the libraries, within the university, and while working with a subscription based vendor. They will discuss the challenges of capturing research output beyond traditional scholarly communication methods in these systems. Lastly they will share recommendations for developing research reputation management services at your own institution

An Investigation of Agreement between Clinical Educators and Peers in Rating Speech Pathology Students’ Interview Skills

Peer assessment and feedback is being used more frequently in health science education as it has been shown to enhance self-directed learning. This study investigated the level of agreement between clinical educators and speech pathology student peers when rating students’ performance during standardised patient interviews. Participating in this study were 104 undergraduate speech pathology students and six clinical educators who were required to rate students’ foundation clinical skills on the Standardised Patient Interview Rating Scale (SPIRS). Students’ skills, including communication, interviewing and professional practice, were rated by a clinical educator and a peer. Data from two separate interviews in weeks 4 and 8 of a clinical placement were analysed to determine the agreement between clinical educators and peers in rating a student on individual items on the SPIRS. Results indicated that there were unacceptable agreement levels between clinical educators and peers in both opportunities of rating. Recommendations for improving agreement between peers and clinical educators were made including increasing explicit training with the rating tool, increased collaboration between clinical educators and student raters, and using peers with more clinical placement experience as raters. Further research is required to investigate the use of peer assessment for both formative and summative purposes in speech pathology student education

An Investigation of the Standardised Patient Interview Rating Scale (SPIRS) for the Assessment of Speech Pathology Students in a Simulation Clinic

Standardised patients (SPs) are increasingly utilised in health sciences education to assist students in the development of clinical competencies, including interviewing skills. This study investigated the development and validation of a rating scale for formative assessment of speech pathology students in an interview with an SP. Participants in this study were 76 undergraduate speech pathology students and 10 clinical educators who participated in a simulated clinic module. As part of the module, pairs of students interviewed an SP portraying a parent of a child with speech delay. The Standardised Patient Interview Rating Scale (SPIRS) was developed to assess students’ foundation clinical competencies of communication, interviewing and professional practice skills. Students’ interviews were videotaped, rated individually on the SPIRS by the clinical educator, and later re-rated by an expert rater. Data were analysed to determine the content validity, internal consistency, and inter-rater reliability of the tool. In addition, descriptive statistics were used to report student performance levels. Results indicated that the SPIRS had good content validity and internal consistency but that there may be some redundancy in individual items. An acceptable level of inter-rater reliability was achieved. Students generally scored highly, with non-verbal communication being the easiest and professional practice the most difficult skill to demonstrate. The SPIRS was found to be an appropriate tool for formative assessment of students in this simulated clinic module. Recommendations for improving its reliability were made. Further research is required to investigate use of the SPIRS as an assessment tool in other contexts utilising standardised patients

Students’ Perceptions of Simulation-Based Learning in Speech Pathology: A Pilot Study

Due to increased student numbers and workforce limitations, speech pathology students have fewer opportunities to develop skills in working with adult populations in traditional clinical placements.  Using simulation-based learning has proven to be advantageous in other disciplines. The use of simulation to develop clinical skills in speech pathology range of practice areas, including speech, language and swallowing in adults, has been less well researched. The aim of this study was to investigate students’ overall perceptions about simulation-based learning, particularly their confidence related to specific clinical skills and perceived anxiety about working with adult clients. Six final year speech pathology students enrolled in either a 4-year undergraduate or 2.5-year masters program participated in this research. Students engaged in five simulation-based learning activities across one day. Purposefully developed pre- and post- surveys were completed to explore students’ anxiety levels and perceptions of confidence regarding clinical skills across domains of foundation knowledge, case history, assessment, intervention, interaction and clinical reasoning, and anxiety levels. The Satisfaction with Simulation Experience (SSE) Scale was completed post-simulation experience. Students also participated in a focus group discussion following the simulation experience. Student median ratings of clinical skills improved from pre- to post-simulation across the six domains. All students reported that the simulation-based learning experience was valuable and reported increased levels of confidence and enhanced preparedness for their clinical placements. Findings from this study suggested that students value simulation-based learning and future research should explore learning outcomes from a longer, more intensive simulation program

Predictors of benefit following pulmonary rehabilitation for interstitial lung disease

SummaryBackgroundPulmonary rehabilitation improves functional capacity and symptoms in the interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), however there is marked variation in outcomes between individuals. The aim of this study was to establish the impact of the aetiology and severity of ILD on response to pulmonary rehabilitation.MethodsForty-four subjects with ILD, including 25 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), underwent eight weeks of pulmonary rehabilitation. Relationships between disease aetiology, markers of disease severity and response to pulmonary rehabilitation were assessed after eight weeks and six months, regardless of program completion.ResultsIn IPF, greater improvements in 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) immediately following pulmonary rehabilitation were associated with larger forced vital capacity (r = 0.49, p = 0.01), less exercise-induced oxyhaemoglobin desaturation (rS = 0.43, p = 0.04) and lower right ventricular systolic pressure (r = −0.47, p = 0.1). In participants with other ILDs there was no relationship between change in 6MWD and baseline variables. Less exercise-induced oxyhaemoglobin desaturation at baseline independently predicted a larger improvement in 6MWD at six month follow-up. Fewer participants with IPF had clinically important reductions in dyspnoea at six months compared to those with other ILDs (25% vs 56%, p = 0.04). More severe dyspnoea at baseline and diagnosis other than IPF predicted greater improvement in dyspnoea at six months.ConclusionsPatients with IPF attain greater and more sustained benefits from pulmonary rehabilitation when disease is mild, whereas those with other ILDs achieve benefits regardless of disease severity. Early referral to pulmonary rehabilitation should be considered in IPF