Effictiveness of non-commercial cleaning agents verses commercial agents

poster abstractThis study determined the efficiency of using non -commercial cleaning agents for the radioactive decontamination of wet 99mTc-pertechnetate (99mTcO4) spills. Methods: Two trials were run using six cleaning agents (Radiacwash™(Biodex), bleach, Windex® (S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.), Fantastic® (S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.), water, and soap and water for 99mTcO4 decontamination effectiveness on vinyl floor tile. Results: All the decontaminaton agents cleaned up well, and were all below background. The Geiger-Muller Detector (GM) data showed that there was no fixed contamination on any of the tiles for both trials. The background for trial 1 was 0.083, and trial 2 background was 0.079. Trial 1 exposure rate after decontamination of water was 0.030. Trial 2 exposure rate after decontamination of water was 0.032, and Windex® (S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.) was 0.031. Conclusion: Trial 1 showed that water was the best cleaning agent and trial 2 showed that water and Windex® (S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.) are the best cleaning agents

Improving THA (total hip arthroscopy) Patient Satisfaction Scores by Reducing Time Spent in the PACU from 90 Minutes to 60 Minutes

BACKGROUND, SIGNIFICANCE & PURPOSE Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) reduces pain and improves range of motion in patients with end stage osteoarthritis. Patients whose post-THA outcome matches their pre-surgical expectations report higher patient satisfaction scores. Post-surgical pain is expected, but if patients don’t ambulate soon enough after surgery, the pain escalates. Simply put, early ambulation improves patient satisfaction scores. To promote early ambulation, spinal block and Propofol are favored over general anesthesia to reduce time spent in the PACU (post anesthesia care unit). The current PACU goal for THA patient discharge is within ninety minutes of PACU arrival. Sometimes the spinal block wears off sooner than ninety minutes creating a window of opportunity for pain to escalate before the patient can ambulate. Increased pain may require intravenous (IV) analgesic intervention which is taxed with an additional twenty-minute PACU stay for re-evaluation. To close this window, the target PACU discharge time for THA patients should be reduced to sixty-minutes. The purpose of this study is to determine if the intervention of reducing PACU discharge time from ninety to sixty minutes boosts patient satisfaction scores. BRIEF LITERATURE REVIEW Although length of stay varies in the literature referenced for this study, the benefits of a 60-minute PACU discharge time are line with findings that support the benefits of early ambulation in THA patients. Benefits such as reduced pain and optimized function are influenced by PACU efficiency in transferring the patient to the orthopedic floor. PROPOSED PROJECT PACU nurses of post THA patients will document post-THA PACU discharge as either less than or greater than sixty minutes on a specialized form. EVALUATION The THA committee will analyze the data and determine if THA patients who discharged from the PACU within sixty minutes reported higher patient satisfaction scores than those who did not

Around the World in Home Economics

Ruth Stultz gives us foreign interpretations of Home Economics training

Swiss Bank Secrecy and United States Efforts to Obtain Information from Swiss Banks

The United States has utilized numerous techniques to penetrate bank secrecy, with varying degrees of success. The United States and Switzerland have signed several agreements relating to bank secrecy and its role in United States criminal investigations. These efforts have allowed United States authorities to obtain normally privileged information in numerous investigations over the past ten years, although some confusion as to what information is available still exists today. Two recent events have expanded the scope of information available to United States investigators and alleviated some of the confusion. In November 1987 the United States and Switzerland exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding which granted United States authorities greater access to Swiss bank records. In addition, in December 1987 the two houses of the Swiss Parliament enacted a new law making insider trading illegal. This law will allow United States securities fraud investigators greater leeway in obtaining normally privileged financial records from Swiss banks. These two developments make Swiss bank secrecy almost obsolete as a means of hiding ill-gotten gains from United States investigators. By this summer, United States authorities can expect to have access to Swiss bank records in almost all future investigations

Thermal and other tests of photovoltaic modules performed in natural sunlight

The bulk of the testing was the characterization of twenty-nine modules according to their nominal operating cell temperature (NOCT) and the effect on NOCT of changes in module design, various residential roof mounting configurations, and dirt accumulation. Other tests, often performed parallel with the NOCT measurements, evaluated the improvement in electrical performance by cooling the modules with water and by channeling the waste heat into a phase change material (wax). Electrical degradation resulting from the natural marriage of photovoltaic and solar water heating modules was also demonstrated. Cost effectiveness of each of these techniques are evaluated in light of the LSA cost goal of $0.50 per watt

The Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Instruction for Teaching Mathematics to Students with Specific Learning Disability

Using computers to teach students is not a new idea. Computers have been utilized for educational purposes for over 80 years. However, the effectiveness of these programs for teaching mathematics to students with specific learning disability is unclear. This study was undertaken to determine if computer-assisted instruction was as effective as other methods of instruction that do not use computers for teaching mathematics to these students. A two-week experimental research study with 36 male and 22 female participants was conducted to determine if a difference existed in the learning of high school students with specific learning disability who were taught using either computer-assisted instruction or instruction using teacher-directed activities. Since there is sparse educational research regarding the effectiveness of using computer-assisted instruction for teaching mathematics to students with specific learning disability, the results of this study provide a starting point for future research on this subject

Alien Registration- Stultz, Howard F. (Westbrook, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/20288/thumbnail.jp

Cultural Identity, Voice, and Agency in Post-Secondary Graphic Design Education: A Collective Case Study

ABSTRACT CULTURAL IDENTITY, VOICE, AND AGENCY IN POST-SECONDARY GRAPHIC DESIGN EDUCATION: A COLLECTIVE CASE STUDY by Larry M. Stultz This study investigates areas of conflict between students’ cultural identities and the educational environment established and maintained by their faculty and school. It analyzes the usefulness and value of personal creative expression in the classroom and how treatment of cultural identity and performance influences student persistence and success. Four theoretical frameworks ground this study and comprise the majority of the relevant literature. The inquiry is framed by theories in curriculum, performance, cultural difference, and symbolic interaction. Three purposely selected students participated in individual case studies, and the data from interviews, classroom observation, and examples of student work were subjected to both unique and collective case analysis. Three identifiable areas inform the collective interpretation: socialization, self-view, and agency, with the latter seeming most dynamic. Very significant are the students’ disparate socialization goals: assimilation, acculturation, and syncretism or compromised coexistence. The problem of self-view, or naming, is also useful. The identity and voice exhibited by these three students create ways in which they are viewed and treated by their peers and their faculty. Most importantly, the students’ experiences and cultural capital are shown to have agency, and agency is a signifier in looking into student success. This study reveals that while it is up to the students to utilize experiential agency, it is up to educators and institutions to consider the role of identity, voice, and agency in developing and maintaining an educative environment