Interprofessional Socialization and Dual Identity Development Amongst Cross-Disciplinary Students

The purpose of this study was to develop and test an interprofessional socialization (IPS) framework through assessing the impact of an IPS-based interprofessional education program on interprofessional socialization and dual identity development among health professional students. Although health professional educational programs have been successful in equipping graduates with skills, knowledge and professionalism, the emphasis on specialization and profession-specific education has enhanced the development of a uniprofessional identity, which has been found to be a major barrier towards Interprofessional Person-Centered Collaborative Practice (IPCPCP). Despite the growing acknowledgment of IPS in the current IPE and collaborative practice literature, there is a lack of research investigating the IPS process that learners should move through in order to develop dual identity, leaving educators with little guidance as how to facilitate the implementation of IPS. Dual identity for IPCPCP requires interprofessional learners to develop a sense of belonging to, and simultaneously identify themselves with both individual’s own profession and that of the interprofessional community. This study sought to address this gap by first developing an IPS conceptual framework which was utilized to develop the IPS-based IPE program intervention in the study, and then examine the impact of this IPS-based IPE program on students’ IPS and dual identity development. The IPS framework, underpinned by social identity and the intergroup contact theories, posits that transformation from a uniprofessional identity to a dual identity occurs through a three-stage process: 1) breaking down barriers; 2) interprofessional role learning; and 3) dual identity development. To measure the dual identity, a new instrument called the ‘dual identity scale (DIS)’ was developed and validated (prior to the main study). In this study a concurrent embedded mixed-method with quasi-experimental design and repeated measures (3 times) was used. One hundred and eight pre-licensure students from seven different health professions were recruited. The study intervention was comprised of two workshops with the first focused on Professional Education and Cross Disciplinary Collaboration (W#1) and the second on Interprofessional Socialization (W #2). Participants completed a set of three instruments and demographic information: DIS, Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS), and Individualism-Collectivism Scale. Participant reflections and workshop group audio-taped discussion were also used to collect the qualitative data. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using Latent Growth Curve modeling to assess the growth and change patterns of students’ dual identity development across the study. Qualitative data analysis was carried out utilizing thematic content analysis. The integrated quantitative and qualitative findings supported the impact of the IPS-based IPE program on assisting students to begin transforming their uniprofessional identity into a dual identity. No significant inter-individual differences were found among the participants that could otherwise be explained by the personal factors. However, some statistically significant correlations between the students’ dual identity level and personal factors were observed. All this resulted in a revised IPS framework in which the stages of socialization were retained

Incentive Design and Market Evolution of Mobile User-Provided Networks

An operator-assisted user-provided network (UPN) has the potential to achieve a low cost ubiquitous Internet connectivity, without significantly increasing the network infrastructure investment. In this paper, we consider such a network where the network operator encourages some of her subscribers to operate as mobile Wi-Fi hotspots (hosts), providing Internet connectivity for other subscribers (clients). We formulate the interaction between the operator and mobile users as a two-stage game. In Stage I, the operator determines the usage-based pricing and quota-based incentive mechanism for the data usage. In Stage II, the mobile users make their decisions about whether to be a host, or a client, or not a subscriber at all. We characterize how the users' membership choices will affect each other's payoffs in Stage II, and how the operator optimizes her decision in Stage I to maximize her profit. Our theoretical and numerical results show that the operator's maximum profit increases with the user density under the proposed hybrid pricing mechanism, and the profit gain can be up to 50\% in a dense network comparing with a pricing-only approach with no incentives.Comment: This manuscript serves as the online technical report of the article published in IEEE Workshop on Smart Data Pricing (SDP), 201

Structural parameters effect on UVR transmission of weft knitted fabrics

Effects of knit structure, knit density, material type and presence of elastic yarn in weft knitted cotton/ polyester and polyester fabrics on UVR transmission have been investigated. According to the Taguchi method used for determining the combination of selected variables and their levels, 16 knitted samples have been produced on a single jersey circular knitting machine. After relaxation, samples have been kept in sunlight simulator and exposed to sun radiation. Finally, the amount of UV transmitted by every sample is measured by spectrophotometer. The results analyzed using Minitab software show that all the controllable variables have a significant effect on UV transmission. Also, according to the signal to noise analysis, the factor 'presence of elastic yarn' shows the strongest effect on UVR transmission. The second effective factor is found 'fabric structure' which is followed by the other two factors, viz. 'material type' and 'knit density' respectively

A case report of hearing loss post use of hydroxychloroquine in a HIV-infected patient

The Republic of Ireland, like many other countries is trying to diversify energy sources to counteract environmental, political and social concerns. Bioethanol from domestically grown agricultural crops is an indigenously produced alternative fuel that can potentially go towards meeting the goal of diversified energy supply. The Republic of Ireland’s distribution of existing soils and agricultural land-uses limit arable crop land to around 10% of total agricultural area. Demand for land to produce arable crops is expected to decrease, which could open the opportunity for bioethanol production. Bioethanol production plants are required to be of a sufficient scale in order to compete economically with other fuel sources, it is important therefore to determine if enough land exists around potential ethanol plant locations to meet the potential demands for feedstock. This study determines, through the use of a developed GIS based model, the potential quantities of feedstock that is available in the hinterlands of nine locations in the Republic of Ireland. The results indicate that three locations can meet all its feedstock demands using indigenously grown sugarbeet, while only one location can meet its demands using a combination of indigenous wheat and straw as the two locally sourced feedstocks.Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Research Stimulus Fun

Transition Supports for IENs in Workplace: Perspectives of IENs in Ontario

There is a nation-wide concern about nursing shortages in Canada. The skills, expertise and experience brought by internationally educated nurses (IENs) are crucial for health human resources sustainability. However, there is a lack of consistency with transition/integration services in place for IENs. An online survey was sent through email to members enrolled in CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses’ bridge training program. The study findings revealed that the most recognized service offered to employed-IENs was ‘corporate orientation for all new staff’. IENs-specific orientation and buddy programs were the least recognized available initiatives. Majority of the respondents desire IEN-focused transition programs that can assist them with their professional growth and integration within the healthcare system. CARE Centre with more than ten years’ experience working with IENs is developing a two-pronged Workplace Transition Program to empower IENs and to partner with employers in knowledge transfer activities resulting in greater capacity to facilitate integration of IENs into workplace

Evaluation of parenteral nutritional support in the surgical and medical wards of a referral teaching hospital

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Malnutrition is a common problem in patients who are hospitalized in surgical and medical wards. Surgical patients, geriatric populations and individuals with severe illness are more vulnerable to malnutrition during their hospitalization course. The purpose of this study was evaluation of parenteral nutrition services in a referral teaching hospital, Tehran, Iran. METHOD: Medical records of 72 patients who received parenteral nutrition during one year period in different surgical and medical wards of Imam Khomeini hospital were reviewed retrospectively by clinical pharmacists. Criteria for initiation of parenteral nutrition, selection of appropriate formulation and monitoring parameters were assessed based on the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition recommendations. RESULTS: Based on the patients' anthropometric parameters and serum albumin levels, 4.2%, 75% and 20.8% of the patients were well-nourished, moderately malnourished and severely malnourished respectively at the hospital admission and before nutritional support. Adequate calorie, protein, carbohydrate and lipid supports were achieved in 21.1%, 32.4%, 23.7% and 10.5% of the patients respectively. About 91% of the patients experienced at least one complication of the nutritional support. CONCLUSION: In this evaluation, several errors in assessment, establishing goals, and monitoring of parenteral nutrition regimens have been detected. Approximately all of the patients did not receive to the trace elements supports goals

Effect of combined balance exercises and kinesio taping on balance, postural stability, and severity of ankle instability in female athletes with functional ankle instability

Ankle sprain is a common musculoskeletal injury, and recurrent ankle sprains often lead to ankle instability. This study aimed to examine whether a 6-week balance training on a wobble board (WB) combined with kinesio taping (KT) is effective in improving balance, postural stability, and ankle stability among female athletes with functional ankle instability (FAI). Twenty-four female athletes with FAI were randomly assigned to study (SG) or control groups (CG). SG attended a 6-week training protocol of combined balance training on the wobble board with KT applied to ankles during exercise. CG only went through a 6-week balance training procedure that was the same as the SG. Before and after the training program, balance and postural stability and the severity of ankle instability were assessed by single-leg Biodex Balance system and Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT), respectively. The analysis revealed that the scores of balance and postural stability decreased after the 6-week training for CG (p = 0.002) and SG (p = 0.001), which indicates an improvement for these variables, and the score of CAIT increased, which means the severity of instability reduced (p = 0.001 for both groups). Significant between-group differences were found for balance and postural stability (t = 2.79, p = 0.011, g = −1.99) and the severity of instability (t = 2.082, p = 0.049, g = 1.36), favoring SG compared with CG. This study showed that the addition of KT to balance training is more effective than balance training alone in improving balance, postural stability, and severity of ankle instability in female athletes with FAI. Our findings could provide a preliminary reference for designing combined balance and KT programs for delivering health benefits to females with FAI.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perspective Chapter: English for Academic Purposes Teacher Education – Prerequisites, Predicaments, and Perquisites

A scrutiny of the factors which sway language instruction in the context of the classroom has made the researchers cognizant of the fact that teachers perform a pivotal role in the process of instructed Second Language Acquisition (SLA). The apprehension of this issue has prompted a large number of researchers to use teacher education as a surrogate for the traditional term teacher training in order to illustrate the multi-layered nature of the prospective teachers’ preparation period. Meanwhile, SLA researchers have taken cognizance of the fact that even the state-of-the-art teacher education courses may not empower the language instructors, who teach English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses, to fulfill their potential in the pertinent courses. Considering the above-mentioned issues, this chapter strives to review the recent research in order to: (a) expound on the essential prerequisites for the development of EAP teacher education courses; (b) determine the probable major hurdles in the teaching of these courses; and (c) extol the virtues of the relevant courses in different academic settings