Adjusting the community of inquiry approach to a synchronous mathematical context

This paper applies the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework previously used in asynchronous discussion forums to synchronous chats in a mathematically-based undergraduate course. While the three presences described in the CoI framework - cognitive, social and teaching presence - are still identified, it is argued that categories and indicators tailored for coding asynchronous discussion may need adjustment when applied to this new context. Preliminary results based on the transcript analysis of one chat log and using two coders are presented in this paper

Modal Verbs in Tyneside English

Until very recently, the syntax of Tyneside English, like that of most English dialects, has been more or less neglected. This has partly been due to the methodological problems involved in collecting sufficient tokens of forms that will occur rarely in even a long stretch of speech, as is pointed out by Jones-Sargeant (1985). This paper constitutes a condensed account of a larger study carried out by the first-named author: at present, this is the only major study of Tyneside syntax to have been undertaken.  The modal syntax of Tyneside differs from that of Standard English in several important ways. Firstly, may and shall are hardly used at all in Tyneside, and at best are stylistic variants of can and will respectively, there being no context in which either may or shall is compulsory. Can and could have even more 'non-modal' characteristics in Tyneside than in Standard English. Other differences between Tyneside and Standard English include the more frequent use of 'epistemic' must and the rarity of ought, which coincides with infrequent use of should in 'non-root, non epistemic' uses as would be predicted by Leech & Coates (1977a and 1977b). Finally, the system of tags is totally different in Tyneside and Standard English respectively, the former having a larger set of options in which single and double negatives, contracted and uncontracted, are contrasted in order to distinguish between tags which ask for information and those requiring confirmation

Collaborative practice in the palliative care environment

A postgraduate student presentation of undertaking a grounded theory study and progress of the research at the date of the presentatio

Interprofessional collaboration in a New Zealand palliative care environment - research proposal.

The aim of this research is to identify the main concern of health professionals and families working collaboratively in palliative care and find out how they manage that. The purpose of this study is to analyse the hidden social process of collaborative practice and produce a theoretical explanation of what is happening in palliative care practice. The theory will provide an account that can be used to improve health care delivery within palliative care; findings will be transferrable to other services where professionals work collaboratively with clients; and the theory will add to the knowledge base of social science research. This is a classic grounded theory study. Data will be collected from unstructured interviews from 30-40 participants – 20 health professionals and 20 family caregivers who live in the wider Auckland and Waikato regions. The interviews will start with health professionals and then move to the family caregivers. Family caregivers will be contacted three to six months following the death of their family member to ask if they would be willing to volunteer for the study. Interviews will be taped if participants agree. Data will be coded and analysed using open, selective and theoretical coding and constant comparative analysis until data saturation occurs. As each interview takes place, data is compared and analysed against the previous interview(s) to find the commonality of what participants are talking about. Analysis will be developed using memoing and theoretical sampling which will be used to follow through the developing theory. Much of the research on interprofessional collaboration and collaborative practice to date has been descriptive and has not been sufficiently theorized. So while there is some knowledge generated about what appears to be happening little is known about how collaboration occurs in practice. Understandings of collaboration in practice are limited. If we do not have a good understanding of what we do as we work together in practice, we cannot compare that with what is expected in practice, and we are even less likely to know how to develop collaboration with families. Literature shows that the terms collaboration and collaborative practice have become predominant, driven by international workforce shortages, an aging population and an increasing complexity of care. These changes will affect the needs for palliative care delivery as well as have an effect on other areas of health care. World Health Organisation figures indicate a health workforce shortage of 4.3 million and this is not expected to get any better. Therefore, a smarter way of working has to be found to meet future needs. Collaborative practice has been shown to improve quality of health care delivery and improve patient outcomes. Research shows that other benefits include shorter length of hospital stay, an improved workplace culture, increased work satisfaction for those who collaborate, and a reduction in the cost of patient care. Understanding what is happening in the New Zealand environment will assist with future planning of both health care service delivery and has the potential to contribute to the education of health care professionals. This study will contribute to research over all by developing a theoretical explanation of collaborative practice in palliative care

Revisiting where it began - researching collaborative practice in palliative care

An opportunity to look back on the research to date and clarify the research metnodology and findings before publication

The Application of Teaching Quality indicators in Saudi Higher Education by the perspective of academics

This paper investigated the level of application of teaching quality indicators (TQIs) in Saudi higher education by the perspective of academics. Data were collected through an online survey of 467 academics in 21 Faculties of Education (SFEs). The online survey consisted of (20) items. Participants were asked to indicate the level of application of TQIs in SFEs. The study is important as it deals with the sensitive issue of teaching quality in higher education and its indicator, which is reflected upon in a positive way to enhance the teaching and learning quality in Saudi universities, and particular SFEs. Findings reveal the overall mean scores of the level of application of TQIs was an ‘Occasionally level’. The results also showed that there were statistically significant differences attribute to the age, level of education and years of teaching experience in higher education. Based on these findings, this paper provides recommendations to planning for achieving TQ in Saudi higher education, taking into consideration the perspectives of academics, their involvement in the processes of planning and improving TQ, and the policies and procedures developed to guide the application of TQIs in Saudi higher education, particular in SFEs. Keywords: teaching quality; indicators; planning, faculties of education; Saudi higher educatio

Extreme Dysbiosis of the Microbiome in Critical Illness.

Critical illness is hypothesized to associate with loss of "health-promoting" commensal microbes and overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria (dysbiosis). This dysbiosis is believed to increase susceptibility to nosocomial infections, sepsis, and organ failure. A trial with prospective monitoring of the intensive care unit (ICU) patient microbiome using culture-independent techniques to confirm and characterize this dysbiosis is thus urgently needed. Characterizing ICU patient microbiome changes may provide first steps toward the development of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions using microbiome signatures. To characterize the ICU patient microbiome, we collected fecal, oral, and skin samples from 115 mixed ICU patients across four centers in the United States and Canada. Samples were collected at two time points: within 48 h of ICU admission, and at ICU discharge or on ICU day 10. Sample collection and processing were performed according to Earth Microbiome Project protocols. We applied SourceTracker to assess the source composition of ICU patient samples by using Qiita, including samples from the American Gut Project (AGP), mammalian corpse decomposition samples, childhood (Global Gut study), and house surfaces. Our results demonstrate that critical illness leads to significant and rapid dysbiosis. Many taxons significantly depleted from ICU patients versus AGP healthy controls are key "health-promoting" organisms, and overgrowth of known pathogens was frequent. Source compositions of ICU patient samples are largely uncharacteristic of the expected community type. Between time points and within a patient, the source composition changed dramatically. Our initial results show great promise for microbiome signatures as diagnostic markers and guides to therapeutic interventions in the ICU to repopulate the normal, "health-promoting" microbiome and thereby improve patient outcomes. IMPORTANCE Critical illness may be associated with the loss of normal, "health promoting" bacteria, allowing overgrowth of disease-promoting pathogenic bacteria (dysbiosis), which, in turn, makes patients susceptible to hospital-acquired infections, sepsis, and organ failure. This has significant world health implications, because sepsis is becoming a leading cause of death worldwide, and hospital-acquired infections contribute to significant illness and increased costs. Thus, a trial that monitors the ICU patient microbiome to confirm and characterize this hypothesis is urgently needed. Our study analyzed the microbiomes of 115 critically ill subjects and demonstrated rapid dysbiosis from unexpected environmental sources after ICU admission. These data may provide the first steps toward defining targeted therapies that correct potentially "illness-promoting" dysbiosis with probiotics or with targeted, multimicrobe synthetic "stool pills" that restore a healthy microbiome in the ICU setting to improve patient outcomes

Development of Number Concepts in Preschool Children

Family Relations and Child Developmen

Cost-effectiveness of community-based screening and treatment of moderate acute malnutrition in Mali.

IntroductionModerate acute malnutrition (MAM) causes substantial child morbidity and mortality, accounting for 4.4% of deaths and 6.0% of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) lost among children under 5 each year. There is growing consensus on the need to provide appropriate treatment of MAM, both to reduce associated morbidity and mortality and to halt its progression to severe acute malnutrition. We estimated health outcomes, costs and cost-effectiveness of four dietary supplements for MAM treatment in children 6-35 months of age in Mali.MethodsWe conducted a cluster-randomised MAM treatment trial to describe nutritional outcomes of four dietary supplements for the management of MAM: ready-to-use supplementary foods (RUSF; PlumpySup); a specially formulated corn-soy blend (CSB) containing dehulled soybean flour, maize flour, dried skimmed milk, soy oil and a micronutrient pre-mix (CSB++; Super Cereal Plus); Misola, a locally produced, micronutrient-fortified, cereal-legume blend (MI); and locally milled flour (LMF), a mixture of millet, beans, oil and sugar, with a separate micronutrient powder. We used a decision tree model to estimate long-term outcomes and calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) comparing the health and economic outcomes of each strategy.ResultsCompared to no MAM treatment, MAM treatment with RUSF, CSB++, MI and LMF reduced the risk of death by 15.4%, 12.7%, 11.9% and 10.3%, respectively. The ICER was US$9821 per death averted (2015 USD) and US$347 per DALY averted for RUSF compared with no MAM treatment.ConclusionMAM treatment with RUSF is cost-effective across a wide range of willingness-to-pay thresholds.Trial registrationNCT01015950

Corporate governance, market valuation and dividend policy in Brazil

This study investigates the effects of the corporate governance structure on market valuation and dividend payout of Brazilian companies. The empirical results indicate a high degree of ownership and control concentration. We can also note a significant difference between the voting and total capital owned by the largest shareholders, mainly through the existence of non-voting shares, pyramidal structures, and shareholding agreements. These mechanisms seem to be used by controlling shareholders to keep the firm’s control without having to own 50% of the total capital. The evidence also reveals that there is a relationship between governance structure, market valuation, and dividend policy in Brazil.Indisponível