Computer Based Instruction and Its Effects on 21st Century learners

The problem of this study was to determine if the use of computer assisted instruction enhanced the performance of students in Algebra 1

The nature of collegial relationships in nursing: perceptions of novice practitioners

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship development, the level of support afforded, and the communication style of novice nurses. This study was chosen to assist with clarification of the concept that nurses eat their young . The study was conducted in a metropolitan health care system in the mid-west with participants from a variety of settings within this system, including acute care and community service. Participants were volunteers from a convenience sample, all with less than eighteen months of experience. The study utilized a qualitative research methodology with semi-structured interviews employed to collect data. The study was limited by size of sample and location, however consistent themes emerged from the interviews. It is important to note that all participants had both positive and negative experiences to share. The study revealed that participants had an unrealistic expectation of their new role. Participants felt unprepared for their role as professional nurses and the majority of participants felt inadequate when it came to professional communication. The data strongly suggested that they felt unsupported by colleagues, more so by the senior staff. The study revealed information regarding negative offenses committed by senior staff when it came to mentoring and support of new nurses. A strong lack of support and mentoring by senior staff was very evident throughout the data. Many of the participants had difficulty assimilating into their work environments, related to difficulty in developing collegial relationships, and several were already in their second position. The study does pose some meaningful suggestions for nursing related to professional relationships, mentoring, and education. The need to make the transition from student to practitioner easier was obvious. The level of professional communication could be strengthened and the capability to support and mentor new nurses within the profession needs to be improved

An Unlikely Champion of Global Finance: Why Is China Exceeding International Banking Standards?

As a G20 member, China has been engaged in financial reform since the end of the global financial crisis. A core piece of this reform is Basel III, the new prudential standard issued by the Basel Committee. Rather than being merely compliant, China’s banking regulation is stricter than the global standard and being implemented ahead of the international timetable. Why is China voluntarily subjecting itself to tougher regulatory standards than the rest of the world? This article shows that low adjustment costs, factional politics, and, above all, an unusual alignment of domestic interests in the quest for international reputation are driving this phenomenon. The troubled institutional history of China’s financial system motivates all relevant stakeholders to seek external validation in order to address a credibility gap abroad, albeit for different reasons. The article examines the power of reputation as a driver of regulatory positioning in the context of China’s integration into international financial institutions

De crisis van de Tsjechische economie

For a long time the Czech Republic was seen as an exainple of a successful transition process. This success was explained by the strict adherence of the Czech goverment to the policy prescriptions of the IMF and World Bank. This rosy picture changed during the second half of the nineties. The economic problenis culminated in a financial crisis in June 1997. Strangely enough, the economic problems were also blamed on the same reform process. Especially the privatisation process was accused of having taken a false course. At first glance it seems illogical to explain both the success and the failure of the reform process by the same phenomenon. This contradiction vanishes when the reform process is seen not as a whole but as a collection of policy measures, which did not 'fit' each other. In addition, also the environment influenced the outcome of the reform process. From this perspective the positive outcomes of the first half of the nineties can be explained as the result of a good starting position, an adequate macro-economic policy and the 'small' privatisation process. When these measures did not work any more, the negative effects of the 'voucher' privatisation process, the hardening of the politica1 climate and the lack of a national process of innovation became dominant. These explain the negative results of the second half of the nineties.

The role of E-selectin in two murine models of acute inflammation

E-selectin, an endothelial cell adhesion molecule, is expressed on the surface of activated endothelial cells. Its role in neutrophil recruitment in acute murine inflammation, a previously undescribed entity, was the focus of this work. The interaction between P-selectin and E-selectin in neutrophil extravasation was also investigated;Two murine models of acute inflammation were utilized in this work: acute pneumonitis induced by intranasal (IN) instillation of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and chemical peritonitis induced by intraperitoneal (IP) injection of thioglycollate broth. Intranasal LPS, a novel model, resulted in a progressive influx of neutrophils into the lungs beginning near airways and extending into distant alveoli 4-6 hours later. Intraperitoneal thioglycollate is a model commonly used to examine the role of adhesion molecules in acute inflammation;E-selectin expression, which peaked 4-6 hours post-treatment, was immunohistochemically detected on the endothelium of scattered vessels in the lungs of mice following IN instillation of LPS. P-selectin was detected in endothelial cells in control mouse lungs and increased post-treatment with IN LPS;Blocking with anti-E-selectin MAb did not decrease the neutrophil count in the peritoneal cavity following IP injection of thioglycollate. Nor did these antibodies decrease the neutrophil count in the bronchoalveolar lavage of mice 2 hours after IN instillation of LPS; whereas, by 6 hours post-treatment, there was a moderate decrease. However, when anti-P-selectin MAb were combined with the anti-E-selectin MAb, a significant increase in blocking was seen in the 6 hour group, demonstrating a redundancy in the function of these molecules. A carbohydrate analog of the selectin ligand was unable to block neutrophil influx in either model;Transgenic mice deficient in the gene for E-selectin had no macro- or microscopic abnormalities when compared to wild-type mice. They did have slightly elevated numbers of neutrophils in circulating in blood. However, neutrophil numbers in the peritoneal lavage of E-selectin deficient mice were not different from wild-type mice after IP thioglycollate. In conclusion, the role of E-selectin in acute murine inflammation is one which overlaps with P-selectin