Evaluating the Relationship between Preadmission Assessment Examination Scores and First-time NCLEX-RN Success

The relationship between preadmission assessment composite and reading scores and first-time National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) success was evaluated in this study. Following an extensive literature review, the researcher hypothesized that students who score at or above the national average on the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) composite score and/or reading score are more likely to be successful on the first attempt of the NCLEX-RN examination. Utilizing archived student records from a rural community college in western North Carolina, a convenience sample of 59 graduates from May 2012 and 2013 was used. Findings of this study revealed there is significant positive correlation between TEAS preadmission assessment composite and reading scores and first-time NCLEX-RN success. Based on the results of this study, nursing programs can evaluate their admission criteria as well as remediation policies in an attempt to increase retention and first-time NCLEX-RN success

The Role of Parenting Practices in Adolescent Aggression and Impulsivity

Parents have an influential role in adolescent development. Previous findings have found a relationship between parenting practices and adolescent behavioral problems. The purpose of this study was to analyze different parenting practices’ influence on impulsive and aggressive behaviors in adolescents. This study uses data gathered from a unique population of at-risk adolescents from a military-style bootcamp who were asked about their parents’ behaviors and their own behaviors. Findings from this study expand upon previous research on parenting practices by analyzing a specific population of at-risk youth and looking at specific forms of impulsive and aggressive behaviors. Data was collected through computerized questionnaires at the adolescents’ residential facility. A total of 173 adolescents, consisting of 146 males and 27 females (63.8% Caucasian, 25.9% African American, 9.8% Other race/ethnicity), completed questionnaires asking about their upbringing when living at home and their display of aggressive and impulsive behaviors. The results found that positive parenting practices (e.g., parental involvement) were associated with fewer aggressive and impulsive behaviors. In contrast, negative parenting practices (e.g., inconsistent discipline) were correlated with more aggressive and impulsive behaviors. The results of this study could be used to promote healthier parenting practices for the betterment of adolescent development and parent-child relationships

The representation of tabooed love in Lillian Smith\u27s fiction

My study explores Lillian Smith\u27s autobiographical relationship to her fiction, particularly two novels, Strange Fruit, and One Hour. The focus of this work is Smith\u27s challenge to the category of sexual orientation and her related use of fiction as a source of social commentary and self-reflection. Smith\u27s uses veiled and encoded language and other kinds of tabooed love to study her own lesbian love. She also assumes a male persona to understand and express her erotic attraction to women. I approach Smith\u27s life and literature in chronological order with an emphasis upon characterization, symbolism, narrative technique, and metaphors of nature. My fictional interpretations are supported by excerpts from Smith\u27s letters and essays

Value Co-creation in Buy Online Pickup In-store (BOPIS)

The purpose of this study is to identify consumer attitudes toward buy online pickup in-store (BOPIS). This study examines how value perceptions change as consumers progress in the online ordering and physical pickup processes within the BOPIS channel. We use a multivariate regression and two separate multiple regression analyses to examine the differential effects of multiple constructs on BOPIS customer satisfaction. As consumers start the process by engaging with the retailer online, perceived usefulness and hedonic value online play a critical role in customer satisfaction. Consumer attitudes change as they pick up their order at the store where the degree of ease and hedonic pickup in collecting their products increases in importance in customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the study findings suggest a halo-effect for trust on BOPIS customer satisfaction. As BOPIS continues to expand into various industries, understanding the complexity of consumer value will be of importance to improve the omni-channel experience

Placental growth factor (alone or in combination with soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1) as an aid to the assessment of women with suspected pre-eclampsia: systematic review and economic analysis

Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) prediction based on blood pressure, presence of protein in the urine, symptoms and laboratory test abnormalities can result in false-positive diagnoses. This may lead to unnecessary antenatal admissions and preterm delivery. Blood tests that measure placental growth factor (PlGF) or the ratio of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) to PlGF could aid prediction of PE if either were added to routine clinical assessment or used as a replacement for proteinuria testing.Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness of PlGF-based tests for patients referred to secondary care with suspected PE in weeks 20–37 of pregnancy.Design: Systematic reviews and an economic analysis.Data sources: Bibliographic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects were searched up to July 2015 for English-language references. Conferences, websites, systematic reviews and confidential company submissions were also accessed.Review methods: Systematic reviews of test accuracy and economic studies were conducted to inform an economic analysis. Test accuracy studies were required to include women with suspected PE and report quantitatively the accuracy of PlGF-based tests; their risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) criteria. The economic studies review had broad eligibility criteria to capture any types of economic analysis; critical appraisal employed standard checklists consistent with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence criteria. Study selection, critical appraisal and data extraction in both reviews were performed by two reviewers.Economic analysis: An independent economic analysis was conducted based on a decision tree model, using the best evidence available. The model evaluates costs (2014, GBP) from a NHS and Personal Social Services perspective. Given the short analysis time horizon, no discounting was undertaken.Results: Four studies were included in the systematic review of test accuracy: two on Alere’s Triage® PlGF test (Alere, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA) for predicting PE requiring delivery within a specified time and two on Roche Diagnostics’ Elecsys® sFlt-1 to PlGF ratio test (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) for predicting PE within a specified time. Three studies were included in the systematic review of economic studies, and two confidential company economic analyses were assessed separately. Study heterogeneity precluded meta-analyses of test accuracy or cost-analysis outcomes, so narrative syntheses were conductedto inform the independent economic model. The model predicts that, when supplementing routine clinical assessment for rule-out and rule-in of PE, the two tests would be cost-saving in weeks 20–35 of gestation, and marginally cost-saving in weeks 35–37, but with minuscule impact on quality of life. Length of neonatal intensive care unit stay was the most influential parameter in sensitivity analyses. All othersensitivity analyses had negligible effects on results.Limitations: No head-to-head comparisons of the tests were identified. No studies investigated accuracy of PlGF-based tests when used as a replacement for proteinuria testing. Test accuracy studies were found to be at high risk of clinical review bias.Conclusions: The Triage and Elecsys tests would save money if added to routine clinical assessment for PE. The magnitude of savings is uncertain, but the tests remain cost-saving under worst-case assumptions. Further research is required to clarify how the test results would be interpreted and applied in clinical practice.Study registration: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42015017670.Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme