Effects Of An Academic Community Health Nursing Program On Self-Reported Functions And Competencies Of Entry Level Public Health Nurses

This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of an academic community health nursing program on functions and competencies of entry level public health nurses. The primary purpose of this study was to ascertain if additional knowledge regarding functions and competencies expected of public health nurses, acquired in an academic setting at the baccalaureate level, would improve self-reported functions and competencies of public health nurses. This study was based on King\u27s (1981) conceptual model for continuing nursing education and her Theory of Goal Attainment. This model depicts the interrelatedness and importance of nurses continuing their nursing education which leads to effective goal setting and attainment with clients and improved competency in practice. Participants for this study were 21 public health nurses: a nonrandomized, convenience sample of 11 entry level public health nurses in the treatment group and a randomized, computer-selected sample of 10 public health nurses selected for the control group. The nurses in the treatment group attended, with generic baccalaureate nursing students, 10 preselected classes about community health nursing in a university setting. Both the treatment and iv control groups were given quantitative pretest and posttest questionnaires and a qualitative posttest questionnaire. The hypothesis was: Participation in an academic community health nursing program will improve elements of self-reported functions and competencies of entry level public health nurses. Since there was significance at the .05 level in some elements, the hypothesis was accepted. Of the 14 6 function and competency variables measured quantitatively, only 11 were significantly documented (7 in the treatment group and 4 in the control group). Qualitative analyses were positive for the socialization process with peers and instructors but negative for course content regarding the role of the public health nurse. Implications for clinical practice, nursing education, and research were suggested. Recommendations for further research were offered

A Survey of String Music in Kansas

It is hoped that this survey will give an insight into the needs and problems of the string program and will help to solve these needs and problems by the information contained herein

Gender Hybridity in H.G. Wells\u27 The Island of Dr. Moreau

Critical scholarship regarding The Island of Dr. Moreau typically concerns themes of evolution and internal corruption. However, the unstudied question of evolution in The Island of Dr. Moreau remains the places where Edward Prendick’s performances of unconventional masculinity on the island inhabit language used to describe bestial regression and indicate a place where rhetoric regarding evolution and gender intersect. The gap in the critical conversation surrounding the representation of Prendick is an important place where the concept of hybridity and evolution can and should be extended. Through a close reading of Prendick’s reactions to events that occur over the course of the novel and his self-referential language, this thesis seeks to draw attention to the de-stabilized representations of masculinity in a novel that literally asks “Are we not men?” By the end of the novel, Prendick’s characterization shares language used to describe the Victorian New Woman—a figure who, like Prendick, doesn’t embody stereotypical gender roles. Indeed, I argue that Prendick acts as a hybrid figure whose fluidity between various gender roles represents variances in Victorian masculinity and exposes the intersection of evolution and gender in a novel focused on the repercussions of the evolution of “man

Attempting to Close the Evidence-Practice Gap in Physical Activity Intervention Research: Strategies and Outcomes of a Co-Creative Qualitative Study

It is argued that a gap exists between research evidence and “real-world” physical activity (PA) intervention practice. One potential way to aid the translatability of evidence in this field is for researchers to work actively with the public health practitioners and organisations that run PA interventions to engage in co-creative research. This paper reports the process and strategies used to underpin research co-creation during a recent qualitative PA intervention study, and the outcomes of the co-creative approach from the perspective of the public health organisation involved in the research in terms of providing them with translatable evidence. A range of strategies were reported to facilitate co-creation in the study, such as engaging the public health organisation in the identification of the research question and development of the research protocol and involving them in participant recruitment. The co-creative research approach resulted in timely, relevant, and understandable research evidence for the organisation, which was translatable to their real-world PA intervention practice. The evidence provided them with clear actions and information to plan their future work and objectives. This paper demonstrates how a co-creative research approach can potentially help to close the evidence-practice gap in the PA intervention field

The use of embedded context-sensitive attractors for clinical walking test guidance in virtual reality

Virtual reality is increasingly used in rehabilitation and can provide additional motivation when working towards therapeutic goals. However, a particular problem for patients regards their ability to plan routes in unfamiliar environments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore how visual cues, namely embedded context-sensitive attractors, can guide attention and walking direction in VR, for clinical walking interventions. This study was designed using a butterfly as the embedded context- sensitive attractor, to guide participant locomotion around the clinical figure of eight walk test, to limit the use of verbal instructions. We investigated the effect of varying the number of attractors for figure of eight path following, and whether there are any negative impacts on perceived autonomy or workload. A total of 24 participants took part in the study and completed six attractor conditions in a counterbalanced order. They also experienced a control VE (no attractors) at the beginning and end of the protocol. Each VE condition lasted a duration of 1 minute and manipulated the number of attractors to either singular or multiple alongside, the placement of turning markers (virtual trees) used to represent the cones used in clinical settings for the figure of eight walk test. Results suggested that embedded context-sensitive attractors can be used to guide walking direction, following a figure of eight in VR without impacting perceived autonomy, and workload. However, there appears to be a saturation point, with regards to effectiveness of attractors. Too few objects in a VE may reduce feelings of intrinsic motivation, and too many objects in a VE may reduce the effectiveness of attractors for guiding individuals along a figure of eight path. We conclude by indicating future research directions, for attractors and their use as a guide for walking direction

Pertussis Toxin Stimulates IL-17 Production in Response to Bordetella pertussis Infection in Mice

In a mouse model of respiratory tract infection by Bordetella pertussis, bacteria multiply in the airways over the first week and are then cleared over the next 3–4 weeks by the host immune response. Pertussis toxin (PT), a virulence factor secreted exclusively by B. pertussis, promotes bacterial growth in the airways by suppression and modulation of host immune responses. By comparison of wild type and PT-deficient strains, we examined the role of PT in modulating airway cytokine and chemokine responses affecting neutrophil recruitment during B. pertussis infection in mice. We found that, despite early inhibition of neutrophil recruitment by PT, high numbers of neutrophils were recruited to the airways by 4 days post-infection with the wild type strain, but not with the PT-deficient strain, and that this correlated with upregulation of neutrophil-attracting chemokine gene expression. In addition, there was similar upregulation of genes expressing the cytokines IL-17A (IL-17), TNF-α and IFN-γ, indicating a mixed Th1/Th17 response. Expression of IL-6, a cytokine involved in Th17 induction, was upregulated earlier than the IL-17 response. We showed that PT, rather than bacterial numbers, was important for induction of these responses. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the IL-17-producing cells were macrophages and neutrophils as well as T cells, and were present predominantly in the airways rather than the lung tissue. Antibody neutralization of IL-17 significantly reduced chemokine gene expression and neutrophil recruitment to the airways, but only modestly increased peak bacterial loads. These data indicate that PT stimulates inflammatory responses by induction of Th1- and Th17-associated cytokines, including IL-17, during B. pertussis infection in mice, but a role for IL-17 in protection against the infection remains to be established

The biofouling of reverse osmosis membranes: From characterisation to control.

Membrane technology can be utilised for the high purification and desalination of water. However membrane filtration processes are commonly impeded by membrane fouling, which can lead to flux decline and an overall reduction in separation efficiency within the process. Therefore the aim of this research study was a comprehensive investigation of the issue of biofouling on industrial RO membranes through molecular biology techniques, characterisation of surface charge of foulant bacteria and RO membrane surface and AFM imaging and force measurements on clean and fouled membranes for the determination of adhesion force and micromechanical properties. The laboratories within Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea and Swansea University, Wales were equipped for the scope of this research work. Research focused on the extraction of microbial DNA obtained from fouling layers on the surface of Reverse Osmosis Membranes obtained from the Fujairah Water and Power Plant, UAE. The use of the culture independent method of the molecular technique based on the 16S rDNA sequence and constructed gene libraries, was then used to determine the bacterial species that caused significant fouling on the RO membrane. Four bacterial species isolated from the fouling layer from the RO membrane were characterised in terms of electrophoretic mobility and zeta potential to determine the cell surface charge within various industrial relevant environments for the elucidation of cell adhesion mechanisms to the membrane surface. AFM images of virgin and fouled membranes were obtained and analysed to reveal the roughness of the surface which could influence fouling and the surface charge of the membranes were measured through the method of streaming potential at various industrial relevant environments to further elucidate the mechanisms of cell adhesion to the membrane surface. Force measurements were performed to reveal the adhesion force and elasticity values of virgin, process fouled and purposely fouled with the four bacterial isolates, to determine process behaviour in various environmental conditions. Through this research and future work, it is hoped that a rational strategy for economic and effective cleaning processes will be developed which will maintain efficient membrane operation and prolong membrane life, thus enabling the reduction of operating costs of such processes

LoCoMoTe – a framework for classification of natural locomotion in VR by task, technique and modality

Virtual reality (VR) research has provided overviews of locomotion techniques, how they work, their strengths and overall user experience. Considerable research has investigated new methodologies, particularly machine learning to develop redirection algorithms. To best support the development of redirection algorithms through machine learning, we must understand how best to replicate human navigation and behaviour in VR, which can be supported by the accumulation of results produced through live-user experiments. However, it can be difficult to identify, select and compare relevant research without a pre-existing framework in an ever-growing research field. Therefore, this work aimed to facilitate the ongoing structuring and comparison of the VR-based natural walking literature by providing a standardised framework for researchers to utilise. We applied thematic analysis to study methodology descriptions from 140 VR-based papers that contained live-user experiments. From this analysis, we developed the LoCoMoTe framework with three themes: navigational decisions, technique implementation, and modalities. The LoCoMoTe framework provides a standardised approach to structuring and comparing experimental conditions. The framework should be continually updated to categorise and systematise knowledge and aid in identifying research gaps and discussions

Prediction of navigation by visual aesthetics when presented with binary choices

This preliminary study explored the possibility of influencing participant’s navigation when presented with 5 binary choices. Each participant experienced one trial of the 5 fixed ordered conditions. A think-aloud protocol and questionnaires were used to understand perception and behaviour. We conclude with suggestions of further research of understanding visual aesthetics and their influence of human movement behaviour on patient’s navigation

Visual elements influence on navigation in virtual environments

Virtual rehabilitation often incorporates an element of travel in a virtual environment. Whether patients are transported automatically through the environment, or whether they have navigational control, it is important to understand how the design of the environment itself can supply navigational cues, and how the processing of these cues may influence perception, behaviour and task performance. This paper explores the literature, which might inform application design, and presents a case study using a think-aloud protocol to explore the perception of users to visual cues within a running game. We conclude with some preliminary suggestions for positive and negative navigational cues