Shared teaching with multimedia‐enhanced video‐conferencing

Video‐conferencing was used to share a short series of lectures between several universities. A high bandwidth network (155Mbit/s) permitted near broadcast TV quality video to be combined with fully mixed, high‐quality audio. The lectures were supported by visual aids made available using Microsoft NetMeeting to provide multipoint, shared applications. NetMeeting is shown to be a stable and effective platform for distributing multimedia material at a much higher resolution than is possible using the video signals common in most video‐conference lectures, although care must be taken when constructing animated material

A hermeneutic of integral human development: bridging the gap between magisterial theory and Catholic agency Praxis

The thesis evolved out of an experience of working for, or being involved with, Catholic agencies devoted to implementing humanitarian and long-term development programmes over three decades (‘Roman Catholic Faith-based Organisations’, RCFBOs). In the encyclical Populorum Progressio (1967), Pope Paul VI called for an ‘authentic development’ which would result in a shift for the poor from living in inhuman conditions to more human ones within their culture. Paul’s contribution to the debate about development was to insist that development was not just about the economy but had to be holistic and include the whole of life - social, political, cultural as well as religious. Since then, subsequent popes have built on Paul’s foundations such that a concept of Integral Human Development (IHD) is now firmly placed within the corpus of Catholic Social Teaching (CST), the ‘official’ Church teaching on issues affecting life and society. Some Catholic agencies have taken the concept of IHD and incorporated it into their work and praxis in the field. The thesis aims to delineate a fuller hermeneutic, or theological understanding, of IHD for both RCFBOs and the institutional Church. IHD lacks explicit definition by the magisterium (teaching authority) of the Church, and does not take into account the praxis of the agencies mandated by bishops’ conferences, and indeed the Holy See, to implement IHD programmes in the field. To delineate a fuller hermeneutic of IHD, I researched the teaching on one of the central tenets of the Catholic faith, diakonia, serving or ministering to the poor, in Scripture, Tradition and CST. Over four chapters (three to six), I construct a hermeneutic of IHD, and examine it in the light of RCFBO praxis. I found that the occasional mutual antagonism of Church and agencies was caused largely by ignorance of Church teaching on the part of RCFBOs (as well as among some priests and bishops) and by the lack of knowledge of, and exposure to, RCFBO praxis on the part of the institutional Church. I propose dialogue. I show in Chapter Seven how the reflections of the teaching are found in two pieces of research I undertook; one concerned an early IHD programme run by Caritas Australia in rural Cambodia, and the other drew on interviews with focus groups of participants in a training programme led by the Catholic agency, Faith and Praxis, in Cameroon. In the case of the cohorts in Cambodia, the ‘reflections of the teaching’ included: the seeking out in the micro-society of villages the poorest people which included the disabled, those who were leading dysfunctional lives of addiction and domestic violence, and people living with HIV; an increase in the learning of skills to provide opportunities to earn a decent income, and in the building up of self-esteem and self-confidence. Acquiring these life skills even broke through the barrier of patriarchy with women being elected into leadership positions in the self-help groups. This transformation of lifestyle earned the people the admiration of their fellow villagers as well as local authorities so that they could then access services such as clinics and schools for themselves and their families; active participation of the so-called ‘beneficiaries’ in the programme to induce a feeling of ownership, and to build up their confidence in themselves and their abilities, while ensuring that empathy is increased among them to guarantee that those previously shunned by the village, such as those with HIV, are included in the programme; the transformation of the staff of community-based organisations (CBOs) to be more empathetic to the poorest they sought out, to phase out their involvement in programmes only when they are sure of their sustainability, while, being local, available for advice in the long-term; and IHD also influenced Caritas Australia which continued to operate within a subsidiarity-induced partnership approach to development, so that power was given to the local entity, ACR Cambodia, and the CBOs which worked in the local areas. All of them were Khmer Buddhists, as were the programme participants. In the case of Faith and Praxis, I show that the methodologies used in the programme, many of which are faith-based, led to the transformation of the participants who were mostly members of religious congregations. Some rediscovered their original charism and proceeded to live with the poor in the rural villages. On the basis of this research, both primary and secondary, I concluded (a) that IHD resulted in good developmental outcomes for the poorest because, at its best, it cohered with the culture and values of the programme participants, and its way of working has engendered greater self-esteem and confidence among the poor; (b) that faith resources could be used as assets in development, empowering the poor, enabling them to discern the causes of their poverty and assisting them to find their own solutions to their own problems; (c) that the greater dialogue I have proposed between RCFBOs and the institutional Church on the basis of my hermeneutic of IHD could overcome any tensions over the Catholicity of the agencies or the lack of prophetic stances by some Church leaders. My hope remains that this study, which has brought together a theology which underpins IHD and the praxis of Catholic agencies, along with suggestions to ameliorate both, will, in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and the papacy of Pope Francis, be regarded as a Catholic approach to a development which is professional, authentic, and holistic as well as being pro-poorest, pro-dignity and pro-planet to RCFBOs, the Church and the world

Selective lesions of the cholinergic neurons within the posterior pedunculopontine do not alter operant learning or nicotine sensitization

Cholinergic neurons within the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus have been implicated in a range of functions, including behavioral state control, attention, and modulation of midbrain and basal ganglia systems. Previous experiments with excitotoxic lesions have found persistent learning impairment and altered response to nicotine following lesion of the posterior component of the PPTg (pPPTg). These effects have been attributed to disrupted input to midbrain dopamine systems, particularly the ventral tegmental area. The pPPTg contains a dense collection of cholinergic neurons and also large numbers of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. Because these interdigitated populations of neurons are all susceptible to excitotoxins, the effects of such lesions cannot be attributed to one neuronal population. We wished to assess whether the learning impairments and altered responses to nicotine in excitotoxic PPTg-lesioned rats were due to loss of cholinergic neurons within the pPPTg. Selective depletion of cholinergic pPPTg neurons is achievable with the fusion toxin Dtx-UII, which targets UII receptors expressed only by cholinergic neurons in this region. Rats bearing bilateral lesions of cholinergic pPPTg neurons (>90 % ChAT+ neuronal loss) displayed no deficits in the learning or performance of fixed and variable ratio schedules of reinforcement for pellet reward. Separate rats with the same lesions had a normal locomotor response to nicotine and furthermore sensitized to repeated administration of nicotine at the same rate as sham controls. Previously seen changes in these behaviors following excitotoxic pPPTg lesions cannot be attributed solely to loss of cholinergic neurons. These findings indicate that non-cholinergic neurons within the pPPTg are responsible for the learning deficits and altered responses to nicotine seen after excitotoxic lesions. The functions of cholinergic neurons may be related to behavioral state control and attention rather than learning

Rapid surfactant-free synthesis of Mg(OH)2 nanoplates and pseudomorphic dehydration to MgO

Magnesium hydroxide nanoplates ca. 50 nm in thickness can be prepared over minute timescales via hydrothermal synthesis in a multimode cavity (MMC) microwave reactor. This approach allows ca. 1 g of single-phase Mg(OH)2 to be synthesised in under 3 minutes without the requirement of surfactants or non-aqueous solvents. The hydroxide nanomaterial dehydrates at temperatures >200 K below that of the equivalent bulk material and can be utilised as a precursor for the pseudomorphic synthesis of nanoplates of MgO as investigated by TG-DTA-MS, XRD and SEM measurements. Equally, the pseudomorphic synthesis can be performed by irradiating the Mg(OH)2 nanomaterial with microwaves for 6 minutes to produce single phase MgO

From Pilot to Established Practice: Reflecting on the 20-Year Journey of Implementing a Collaborative Learning Unit practice education model in Victoria, British Columbia

Practice-based, or workplace-integrated, learning is a fundamental component of Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs. The Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) model has been implemented widely in a range of contexts over the past two decades as an alternative to traditional faculty-led and preceptorship models. In Victoria, British Columbia, academic and practice nursing partners adapted and piloted the DEU in 2003 as a Collaborative Learning Unit (CLU) model. As with other DEU initiatives/innovations, the CLU was proposed primarily as a solution to increasing demands on student placement capacity and reduced preceptor availability. Over the past 17 years the CLU approach has been expanded to the point where over 85% of BSN students now complete their final practice courses within this model. As part of a larger program of study evaluating the CLU model, we employed Bowen’s document analysis methodology to explore the unique contextual issues that shaped development of this model and to critically reflect on historical and political influences on expansion and sustainability. We located printed and electronic documents developed by academic-practice partner teams from the time of early interest about the model in 2001 to 2020. Data were extracted about authorship, purpose, process and key recommendations, in particular related to the characteristics and processes of CLUs that supported development, implementation, and sustainability. Supplementary strategic documents were also reviewed for provincial health system, national nursing, and nursing education contexts. Overall, we noted a pattern of substantial initial collaboration, investment and expansion, leading to the CLU model becoming established practice for the majority of senior practice placements. However, multiple economic and system influences across healthcare and post-secondary education sectors contributed to a gradual reduction in infrastructure during the past ten years. We suggest that limited intentional focus on sustainability in and between academic and healthcare organizational contexts over time contributed to some erosion of nursing education infrastructure and potentially dilution of the positive impact of this practice education model. Despite these challenges, student placement data patterns in Victoria indicate that without the CLU model, it would be significantly more challenging to return to relying on the preceptorship model for senior practice education courses, particularly as many of the initial contextual factors endure. Résumé L’apprentissage basé sur la pratique ou intégré au lieu de travail est une composante fondamentale des programmes de baccalauréat en sciences infirmières. Le modèle d’unité dédiée à la formation (UDF) a été largement mis en œuvre dans une gamme de contextes au cours des deux dernières décennies comme alternative aux modèles traditionnels de supervision par une professeure ou une préceptrice. À Victoria, en Colombie-Britannique, les partenaires infirmières universitaires et cliniques ont adapté et piloté le modèle d’UDF en 2003 en tant que modèle d’unité collaborative d’apprentissage (UCA). Comme avec d’autres initiatives/innovations de l’UDF, l’UCA a été proposée principalement comme solution aux demandes croissantes de places de stage pour les étudiantes et à la disponibilité réduite des préceptrices. Au cours des 17 dernières années, l’approche de l’UCA a été élargie au point où plus de 85 % des étudiantes au baccalauréat en sciences infirmières terminent maintenant leurs derniers stages en milieu de pratique dans le contexte de ce modèle. Dans le cadre d’un programme de recherche plus vaste évaluant le modèle d’UCA, nous avons utilisé la méthodologie d’analyse de documents de Bowen pour explorer les enjeux contextuels uniques qui ont façonné le développement de ce modèle et pour réfléchir de manière critique aux influences historiques et politiques liées à l’expansion et à la pérennité. Nous avons retracé des documents imprimés et électroniques élaborés par des équipes partenaires universitaires-pratiques depuis qu’on a commencé à s’intéresser au modèle, soit en 2001, jusqu’à 2020. Des données ont été extraites sur les auteurs, l’objectif, le processus et les recommandations clés de ces textes, en particulier en ce qui concerne les caractéristiques et les processus des UCA qui ont soutenu le développement, la mise en œuvre et la pérennité. Des documents stratégiques supplémentaires ont également été examinés pour considérer des éléments de contexte du système de santé provincial, des soins infirmiers nationaux et de la formation en sciences infirmières. Dans l’ensemble, nous avons noté une configuration initiale de collaboration, d’investissement et d’expansion substantiels qui a permis au modèle d’UCA de devenir une pratique établie pour la majorité des stages en milieu de pratique des étudiantes de dernière année. Cependant, de multiples influences économiques et systémiques dans les secteurs de la santé et de l’enseignement postsecondaire ont contribué à une réduction graduelle des infrastructures au cours des 10 dernières années. Nous suggérons qu’une intention limitée de se centrer sur la pérennité dans et entre les contextes organisationnels académiques et de soins de santé au fil du temps a contribué à une certaine érosion de l’infrastructure de la formation en sciences infirmières et potentiellement à la dilution de l’impact positif de ce modèle de formation pratique. Malgré ces défis, le profil des données sur le placement des étudiantes en stage à Victoria indique que sans le modèle d’UCA, il serait beaucoup plus difficile de s’appuyer à nouveau uniquement sur le modèle de préceptorat pour les stages en milieu de pratique des étudiantes de dernière année, d’autant plus que bon nombre des facteurs contextuels perdurent

Rapid surfactant-free synthesis of Mg(OH)2 nanoplates and pseudomorphic dehydration to MgO

Magnesium hydroxide nanoplates ca. 50 nm in thickness can be prepared over minute timescales via hydrothermal synthesis in a multimode cavity (MMC) microwave reactor. This approach allows ca. 1 g of single-phase Mg(OH)2 to be synthesised in under 3 minutes without the requirement of surfactants or non-aqueous solvents. The hydroxide nanomaterial dehydrates at temperatures >200 K below that of the equivalent bulk material and can be utilised as a precursor for the pseudomorphic synthesis of nanoplates of MgO as investigated by TG-DTA-MS, XRD and SEM measurements. Equally, the pseudomorphic synthesis can be performed by irradiating the MgIJOH)2 nanomaterial with microwaves for 6 minutes to produce single-phase MgO.JRC.F.2-Energy Conversion and Storage Technologie

Superconducting tantalum disulfide nanotapes; growth, structure and stoichiometry

Superconducting tantalum disulfide nanowires have been synthesised by surface-assisted chemical vapour transport (SACVT) methods and their crystal structure, morphology and stoichiometry studied by powder X-ray diffraction (PXD), scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and nanodiffraction. The evolution of morphology, stoichiometry and structure of materials grown by SACVT methods in the Ta-S system with reaction temperature was investigated systematically. High-aspect-ratio, superconducting disulfide nanowires are produced at intermediate reaction temperatures (650 degrees C). The superconducting wires are single crystalline, adopt the 2H polytypic structure (hexagonal space group P6(3)/mmc: a = 3.32(2) angstrom, c = 12.159(2) angstrom; c/a = 3.66) and grow in the <2<(1)over bar>(1) over bar0> direction. The nanowires are of rectangular cross-section forming nanotapes composed of bundles of much smaller fibres that grow cooperatively. At lower reaction temperatures nanowires close to a composition of TaS3 are produced whereas elevated temperatures yield platelets of 1T TaS2

Resistance to group clinical supervision: a semistructured interview study of non-participating mental health nursing staff members

This paper is a report of an interview study exploring personal views on participating in group clinical supervision among mental health nursing staff members who do not participate in supervision. There is a paucity of empirical research on resistance to supervision, which has traditionally been theorised as a supervisee’s maladaptive coping with anxiety in the supervision process. The aim of the study was to examine resistance to group clinical supervision by interviewing nurses who did not participate in supervision. In 2015, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 Danish mental health nursing staff members who had been observed not to participate in supervision in two periods of 3 months. Interviews were audio recorded and subjected to discourse analysis. We constructed two discursive positions taken by the informants: Forced non-participation where an informant was in favour of supervision, but presented practical reasons for not participating and Deliberate rejection, where an informant intentionally chose to not to participate in supervision. Furthermore, we described two typical themes drawn upon by informants in their positioning: Difficulties related to participating in supervision and Limited need for and benefits from supervision. The findings indicated that group clinical supervision extended a space for group discussion that generated or accentuated anxiety because of already existing conflicts and a fundamental lack of trust between group members. Many informants perceived group clinical supervision as an unacceptable intrusion, which could indicate a need for developing more acceptable types of post-registration clinical education and reflective practice for this group

Selective phase growth and precise-layer control in MoTe2

Minor structural changes in transition metal dichalcogenides can have dramatic effects on their electronic properties. This makes the quest for key parameters that enable a selective choice between the competing metallic and semiconducting phases in the 2D MoTe2 system compelling. Herein, we report the optimal conditions at which the choice of the initial seed layer dictates the type of crystal structure of atomically-thin MoTe2 films grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). When Mo metal is used as a seed layer, semiconducting 2H-MoTe2 is the only product. Conversely, MoO3 leads to the preferential growth of metallic 1T-MoTe2. The control over phase growth allows for simultaneous deposition of both 2H-MoTe2 and 1T '-MoTe2 phases on a single substrate during one CVD reaction. Furthermore, Rhodamine 6G dye can be detected using few-layered 1T '-MoTe2 films down to 5 nM concentration, demonstrating surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with sensitivity several orders of magnitude higher than for bulk 1T '-MoTe2