Pharmacy students’ perceptions and attitudes towards experiential training in Jordan and United Kingdom

Purpose: To examine the quality of pharmaceutical experiential training by developing an experiential training survey. Methods: An online survey was placed on E-learning platforms in Jordan and UK to develop a validated instrument that can assess pharmacy students' perceptions of the experiential program implemented in their curricula. Results: A total of 377 students from Jordan (250 students) and the UK (127 students) completed the survey. Principal component analysis was used to conduct exploratory factor analysis and to assess the factor structure for the data. A two-factor model was applied to the data obtained from the students. These factors included students’ feelings toward experiential training (Perceiver Feelings; PF) and their ability to conduct a full Pharmaceutical Care Plan (PCP). Students from both Jordan and the UK showed a higher satisfaction PF score toward the experiential training program compared to PCP. Being female and not having prior practice experience led to significantly lower PCP scores compared to males and having a prior practice experience, respectively. Conclusion: The availability of a validated questionnaire will help in investigating the effectiveness of experiential training courses. Keywords: Experiential training; Factor Analysis; Survey development; Pharmac

Performing heritage: the use of live 'actors' in heritage presentations

This paper investigates the phenomenon of 'living history' presentations of heritage, using live 'actors' to portray historical characters. Its aim is to discuss these presentations in the context of what may be understood as 'heritage', and of the nature of 'performance'. Four case studies of heritage sites, each important as a tourist attraction, have been selected for detailed study, together with a number of other examples of heritage performance. It is clear from the empirical work that different performance strategies are employed within the heritage industry and by individual 'actors'. Most of the performers take part as a leisure activity, and many do not consider themselves to be 'performing' at all. The greatest concern of participants lies in the degree of authenticity of the performance. Through 'living history', the 'actors' are drawn into an experience of heritage which has real meaning for them, and which may contribute both to a sense of identity and to an enhanced understanding of society, past and present. The popularity of such presentations with visitors also indicates that similar benefits are perceived by the 'audience'

Has NICE guidance changed the management of the suspected scaphoid fracture: A survey of UK practice

YesIntroduction: Despite scaphoid fractures being relatively uncommon pro-active treatment of suspected fractures has been seen as a risk management strategy. The poor positive predictive value of X-rays has led to published guidelines advocating MRI as a first-line or early imaging tool. It is unclear whether UK hospitals have been able to introduce early scanning and this national survey sought to establish the current management strategies for patients with a suspected scaphoid fracture. Method: An electronic survey of UK emergency departments (ED) was conducted to establish the initial and follow up strategies for patients with negative imaging. Comparison of first and second-line imaging modalities was undertaken together with review of the clinical speciality responsible for ongoing management. Results: 166 UK NHS Trusts were identified with emergency department facilities of which 66 (39.8%) responded. All sites perform an X-ray as the initial examination. For those with a negative examination ED follow up was the most common approach (54.6%), although many sites refer patients to other specialities including orthopaedics (39.4%) for follow up. The data demonstrated inconsistencies in the number of follow-up episodes and the different imaging investigations utilised. Frustration with the challenges presented by this patient cohort was evident. Conclusion: The suspected scaphoid fracture represents an ongoing challenge to the NHS with many resource intensive pathways reliant on access to complex imaging investigations. Implications for practice: Our study identified that UK Emergency Departments have limited early access to complex imaging for scanning of the scaphoid. A range of strategies are used for follow up of suspected scaphoid fractures and these are resource intensive. Overtreatment of patients with suspected scaphoid fracture is used as a risk management approach

On the Use of Multipole Expansion in Time Evolution of Non-linear Dynamical Systems and Some Surprises Related to Superradiance

A new numerical method is introduced to study the problem of time evolution of generic non-linear dynamical systems in four-dimensional spacetimes. It is assumed that the time level surfaces are foliated by a one-parameter family of codimension two compact surfaces with no boundary and which are conformal to a Riemannian manifold C. The method is based on the use of a multipole expansion determined uniquely by the induced metric structure on C. The approach is fully spectral in the angular directions. The dynamics in the complementary 1+1 Lorentzian spacetime is followed by making use of a fourth order finite differencing scheme with adaptive mesh refinement. In checking the reliability of the introduced new method the evolution of a massless scalar field on a fixed Kerr spacetime is investigated. In particular, the angular distribution of the evolving field in to be superradiant scattering is studied. The primary aim was to check the validity of some of the recent arguments claiming that the Penrose process, or its field theoretical correspondence---superradiance---does play crucial role in jet formation in black hole spacetimes while matter accretes onto the central object. Our findings appear to be on contrary to these claims as the angular dependence of a to be superradiant scattering of a massless scalar field does not show any preference of the axis of rotation. In addition, the process of superradiance, in case of a massless scalar field, was also investigated. On contrary to the general expectations no energy extraction from black hole was found even though the incident wave packets was fine tuned to be maximally superradiant. Instead of energy extraction the to be superradiant part of the incident wave packet fails to reach the ergoregion rather it suffers a total reflection which appears to be a new phenomenon.Comment: 49 pages, 11 figure

Synchronous online CPD: empirical support for the value of webinars in career settings

The careers profession in England is facing unprecedented challenges. Initiatives to improve service delivery while keeping costs low are attractive and online training holds the promise of high impact at low cost. The present study employs a qualitative methodology to evaluate a series of online ‘webinars’ conducted with 15 careers advisers. Results showed that the technology itself could impede learning, and participants missed out on the peer-to-peer interaction that takes place in a ‘bricks and mortar’ setting, but overall participants found that access to relevant, good quality training from the convenience of their workplace more than compensated for the challenges. The article offers conceptual support for the viability of online learning through the theory of equivalency, andragogy and transactional distance theory, and makes recommendations for practice

The Green, Green Grass of Home: an archaeo-ecological approach to pastoralist settlement in central Kenya

© 2016 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This paper considers the ecological residues of pastoralist occupation at the site of Maili Sita in Laikipia, central Kenya, drawing links with the archaeological record so as to contribute a fresh approach to the ephemeral settlement sites of mobile herding communities, a methodological aspect of African archaeology that remains problematic. Variations in the geochemical and micromorphological composition of soils along transects across the site are compared with vegetation distributions and satellite imagery to propose an occupation pattern not dissimilar to contemporary Cushitic-speaking groups further north. We argue that Maili Sita exemplifies the broad migratory and cultural exchange networks in place during the mid- to late second millennium AD, with pastoralist occupants who were both physically and culturally mobile.British Academy (2002-5 Funding) European Union - Marie Curie Initiatives (EXT grant 2007-11

On the Schrödinger-Newton equation and its symmetries: a geometric view

LaTeX 29 pages; minor correctionsInternational audienceThe \SN (SN) equation is recast on purely geometrical grounds, namely in terms of Bargmann structures over (\d+1)-dimensional Newton-Cartan (NC) spacetimes. Its maximal group of invariance, which we call the SN group, is determined as the group of conformal Bargmann automorphisms that preserve the coupled Schr\"odinger and NC gravitational field equations. Canonical unitary representations of the SN group are worked out, helping us recover, in particular, a very specific occurrence of dilations with dynamical exponent z=(\d+2)/3

New light on plant ash glass found in Africa: evidence for Indian Ocean Silk Road trade using major, minor, trace element and lead isotope analysis of glass from the 15th—16th century AD from Malindi and Mambrui, Kenya

Seventeen glass vessels and twenty glass beads recovered from the excavations at the ancient city of Malindi and the archaeological site of Mambrui in Kenya, east Africa were analysed using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The results show that all of the glass samples are soda-lime-silica glass. They belong to the high alumina -plant ash glass type, characterised by high alumina and relatively low calcium contents, widely distributed in eastern (10th- 16th centuries AD) and southern Africa (13th - 15th centuries AD), Central Asia (9th- 14th centuries AD) and southeast Asia (12th- 13th centuries AD), made with plant ashes and sands. This is an understudied glass type for which previous research has indicated there were three types. When compared with published research on such glasses using Zr, Ti, Ba, Cr, La, Li, Cs, Na2O, MgO and CaO we have identified at least four different compositional groups of v-Na-Al glass: Types A, B, C and D. By comparing the results with contemporary v-Na-Al glass vessels and beads from Central Asia, Africa, and southeast Asia we show that most of the Malindi and Mambrui glass share similar characteristics to the compositions of Mapungubwe Oblate and some of the Madagascar glass beads from southern Africa. They belong to Type A v-Na-Al glass which is characterised by an elevated level of Ti and Ba and a relatively high ratios of Cr/La, relatively low Zr concentrations and low ratios of Zr/ Ti. Differences in Zr, Li, MgO and Na2O concentrations in Type A glass indicates that there are subgroups which might derive from different glass workshop(s) specialising in Type A v- Na-Al glass production. Comparison with the chemical compositions of glass from Ghazni, Afghanistan and Termez, Uzbekistan, and by using lead isotope analysis, we suggest v-Na- Al glass was manufactured in Central Asia and possibly worked into vessels and beads there. Copyright: © 2020 Siu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited