Neonatal pain assessment: the development of a pain assessment scale for neonatal transport

The aim of this study is to develop a pain assessment scale for use during neonatal transport. Underpinned by the rights of the child to have appropriate assessment and management of pain and the important deleterious effects pain can have on the physiological stability of the neonate, this study utilises a qualitative consensus paradigm of enquiry to inform the content and structure a pain assessment scale specific to the transport setting.The study was conducted in three Phases, the first Phase consisted of a nominal group meeting with transport clinicians to ascertain their views on items to include in a pain assessment scale for transport. Phase Two utilised the Delphi technique to gain consensus from a large cohort of clinicians experienced in the field of neonatal transport on the content, structure and design of a transport pain assessment scale.Results of the first two Phases of the study were then applied to the adaptation of an existing pain assessment scale. Face validity of the newly developed Neonatal Transport Pain Assessment Scale (NTPAS) was then tested in Phase Three by semi-structured interviews with transport clinicians. Results of initial face validity testing suggested positive results in relation to feasibility and clinical utility of the scale, however further testing is strongly recommended.Currently there are no pain assessment scales developed for use in the transport setting, and little evidence on the effects of transport on pain and pain assessment. This study offers a unique approach in adding to the body of knowledge on neonatal pain assessment and facilitated the development of a scale adapted to transport. Further research is suggested to undertake psychometric testing of the scale and establish validity and reliability in the clinical setting

Integration and Communication of Process Support Tools in an Online Virtual Learning Environment

The Education through Virtual Experience (EVE) research group based at the National University of Ireland Maynooth have successfully developed an online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for Astronomy as part of the Virtual Telescopes in Education (VTIE) project. The VTIE VLE has been developed to provide online software support for the engagement of schoolchildren and their teachers in a scientific process. The development of an online VLE to support a scientific process has brought about complex interactions from the user perspective. This has lead to complex integration and communication challenges from the software implementation perspective. This paper contains a high level user-centered summary of the integration and communication challenges that have arisen during the VLE development and summarizes the mechanisms used to meet these challenges

Measurement of angular correlation solid angle corrections for a coaxial Ge(Li) detector

Experimental finite solid-angle corrections have been determined for a coaxial Ge(Li) detector. A comparison between these experimental values and calculated values is shown.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32803/1/0000176.pd

Angina Management is Poor After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Self-management of coronary heart disease (CHD) is critical after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). While elective PCIs should reduce patients’ stable angina symptoms, recurring pain is a common problem post-procedure and effective self-management of this seemed poor. The aims of the study were to identify how patients self-managed their angina symptoms after undergoing PCI and to explore barriers to their effectiveness in this

The level scheme of 134Ba

The gamma-ray spectrum associated with the beta decay of 134Cs has been studied with curved-crystal and Ge(Li) spectrometers. The data provide energy and intensity measurements of 11 gamma rays. Coincidence spectra were taken using a Ge(Li)---NaI(Tl) combination. The data fail to support the previously proposed levels at 1570 and 1773 keV.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/33329/1/0000725.pd

A healthy lifestyle text message intervention for adolescents: protocol for the Health4Me randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Adolescence presents a window of opportunity to establish good nutrition and physical activity behaviours to carry throughout the life course. Adolescents are at risk of developing cardiovascular and other chronic diseases due to poor the complex interplay of physical and mental health lifestyle risk factors. Text messaging is adolescents main form of everyday communication and text message programs offer a potential solution for support and improvement of lifestyle health behaviours. The primary aim of this study is to determine effectiveness of the Health4Me text message program to improve adolescent's physical activity or nutrition behaviours among adolescents over 6-months, compared to usual care. METHODS: Health4Me is a virtual, two-arm, single-blind randomised controlled trial, delivering a 6-month healthy lifestyle text message program with optional health counselling. Recruitment will be through digital advertising and primary care services. In total, 330 adolescents will be randomised 1:1 to intervention or control (usual care) groups. The intervention group will receive 4-5 text messages per week for 6-months. All text messages have been co-designed with adolescents. Messages promote a healthy lifestyle by providing practical information, health tips, motivation and support for behaviour change for physical activity, nutrition, mental health, body image, popular digital media and climate and planetary health. Virtual assessments will occur at baseline and 6-months assessing physical health (physical activity, nutrition, body mass index, sleep), mental health (quality of life, self-efficacy, psychological distress, anxiety, depression, eating disorder risk) and lifestyle outcomes (food insecurity and eHealth literacy). DISCUSSION: This study will determine the effectiveness of a 6-month healthy lifestyle text message intervention to improve physical activity and nutrition outcomes in adolescents. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12622000949785 , Date registered: 05/07/2022

Dynamic liquefaction of shear zones in intact loess during simulated earthquake loading

The 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence in New Zealand exposed loess-mantled slopes in the area to very high levels of seismic excitation (locally measured as >2 g). Few loess slopes showed permanent local downslope deformation, and most of these showed only limited accumulated displacement. A series of innovative dynamic back pressured shear-box tests were undertaken on intact and remoulded loess samples collected from one of the recently active slopes replicating field conditions under different simplified horizontal seismic excitations. During each test, the strength reduction and excess pore water pressures generated were measured as the sample failed. Test results suggest that although dynamic liquefaction could have occurred, a key factor was likely to have been that the loess was largely unsaturated at the times of the large earthquake events. The failure of intact loess samples in the tests was complex and variable due to the highly variable geotechnical characteristics of the material. Some loess samples failed rapidly as a result of dynamic liquefaction as seismic excitation generated an increase in pore-water pressure, triggering rapid loss of strength and thus of shear resistance. Following initial failure, pore pressure dissipated with continued seismic excitation and the sample consolidated, resulting in partial shear-strength recovery. Once excess pore-water pressures had dissipated, deformation continued in a critical effective stress state with no further change in volume. Remoulded and weaker samples, however, did not liquefy, and instead immediately reduced in volume with an accompanying slower and more sustained increase in pore pressure as the sample consolidated. Thereafter excess pressures dissipated and deformation continued at a critical state. The complex behaviour explained why, despite exceptionally strong ground shaking, there was only limited displacement and lack of run-out: dynamic liquefaction was unlikely to occur in the freely draining slopes. Dynamic liquefaction however remained a plausible mechanism to explain loess failure in some of the low-angle toe slopes, where a permanent water table was present in the loess

Performing television history

An expanded conception of performance study can disturb current theoretical and historical assumptions about television’s medial identity. The article considers how to write histories of the dominant forms and assumptions about performance in British and American television drama, and analyses how acting is situated in relation to the multiple meaning-making components of television. A longitudinal, wide-ranging analysis is briefly sketched to show that the concept of performance, from acting to the display of television’s mediating capability, can extend to the analysis of how the television medium ‘performed’ its own identity to shape its distinctiveness in specific historical circumstances