Breaking from Tradition: Transforming Leadership Education in Nursing

Leadership development is critical for nurses to be engaged in health system reform and transformation. Trends in nursing practice led to the development of an innovative senior consolidation course in our four year undergraduate nursing program. We hypothesized that providing opportunities for application of theoretical knowledge related to complex adaptive systems and leadership would enhance professional identity formation. We describe our experiences implementing a clinical course wherein nursing students are provided opportunities to explore and develop their leadership acumen within an undergraduate curriculum. We discuss how breaking from curricular tradition involved intentional use of pedagogy (transformational learning theory), innovative instructional design, and the formation of collaborative partnerships to provide a space for students to practice the cognitive, relational, and meaning making skills required for leadership development. We highlight the impact of this journey on students, faculty, and community partners as we forge ahead in planning next steps to determine the level of engagement of our graduates in health system design, advocacy, and stewardship. Résumé Le développement du leadership par les infirmières est essentiel si elles veulent participer à la réforme et à la transformation du système de santé. Les tendances observées dans la pratique infirmière ont mené à l’élaboration d’un cours d’intégration en fin de programme de premier cycle de quatre années en sciences infirmières. Nous avons fait l’hypothèse qu’en offrant des occasions d’appliquer les connaissances théoriques liées aux systèmes adaptatifs complexes et au leadership, la formation de l’identité professionnelle serait renforcée. Nous décrivons ici nos expériences de la mise en œuvre d’un cours clinique où les étudiantes en sciences infirmières ont l’occasion d’explorer et de développer leur compétence de leadership dans le cadre d’un programme de premier cycle. Nous abordons en quoi le fait de s’être éloignés du programme traditionnel a pavé la voie à l’utilisation intentionnelle de la pédagogie (théorie de l’apprentissage transformationnel), à une conception pédagogique novatrice et à la formation de partenariats de collaboration afin d’offrir aux étudiantes un milieu où elles peuvent mettre en pratique les habiletés cognitives, relationnelles et de réflexion nécessaires au développement du leadership. Nous mettons en valeur l’impact de ce cheminement sur les étudiantes, le corps enseignant et les partenaires de la communauté alors que nous nous préparons à planifier les prochaines étapes pour déterminer le degré de participation de nos diplômées à la conception, à la promotion et à la gestion dans le système de santé

Late style and speaking out: J A Symonds's In the Key of Blue

This article examines In the Key of Blue (1893)—an essay collection by John Addington Symonds—as a case study in queer public utterance during the early 1890s. Viewed through the critical lens of late style, as theorised by Edward Said, the evolution of this project, from compilation through to reader reception, reveals Symonds's determination to “speak out” on the subject of homosexuality. Paradoxically, In the Key of Blue was thus a timely and untimely work: it belonged to a brief period of increased visibility and expressiveness when dealing with male same-sex desire, spearheaded by a younger generation of Decadent writers, but it also cut against the grain of nineteenth-century social taboo and legal repression. Symonds's essay collection brought together new and previously unpublished work with examples of his writing for the periodical press. These new combinations, appearing together for the first time, served to facilitate new readings and new inferences, bringing homosexual themes to the fore. This article traces the dialogic structure of In the Key of Blue , its strategies for articulating homosexual desire, and examines the response of reviewers, from the hostile to celebratory

Identification of pathogenic Leptospira species by conventional or real-time PCR and sequencing of the DNA gyrase subunit B encoding gene

BACKGROUND: Leptospira is the causative genus of the disease, leptospirosis. Species identification of pathogenic Leptospira in the past was generally performed by either DNA-DNA hybridisation or 16s rRNA gene sequencing. Both methods have inherent disadvantages such as the need for radio-labelled isotopes or significant homology between species. A conventional and real-time PCR amplification and sequencing method was developed for an alternate gene target: DNA gyrase subunit B (gyrB). Phylogenetic comparisons were undertaken between pathogenic Leptospira 16srRNA and gyrB genes using clustering and minimum evolution analysis. In addition 50 unidentified Leptospira isolates were characterised by gyrB sequencing and compared with conventional 16s rRNA sequencing. RESULTS: A conventional and real-time PCR methodology was developed and optimised for the amplification of the gyrB from pathogenic Leptospira species. Non pathogenic and opportunistic Leptospira species such as L. fainei and L. broomi were not amplified. The gyrB gene shows greater nucleotide divergence (3.5% to 16.1%) than the 16s rRNA gene (0.1% to 1.4%). Minimum evolution analysis reveals that the gyrB has a different evolution topology for L. kirschneri and L. interrogans. When the two genes were compared for the identification of the 50 unknown isolates there was 100% agreement in the results. CONCLUSION: This research has successfully developed a methodology for the identification of pathogenic Leptospira using an alternate gene to 16s rRNA. The gyrB encoding gene shows higher nucleotide/evolutionary divergence allowing for superior identification and also the potential for the development of DNA probe based identification

Development of a Multiple-Locus Variable number of tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA) for Leptospira interrogans and its application to Leptospira interrogans serovar Australis isolates from Far North Queensland, Australia

BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the genus, Leptospira. Leptospira interrogans is the most common genomospecies implicated in the disease. Epidemiological investigations are needed to distinguish outbreak situations or to trace reservoirs of the organisms. Current methodologies used for typing Leptospira have significant drawbacks. The development of an easy to perform yet high resolution method is needed for this organism. METHODS: In this study we have searched the available genomic sequence of L. interrogans serovar Copenhageni strain Fiocruz L1-130 for the presence of tandem repeats [1]. These repeats were evaluated against reference strains for diversity. Six loci were selected to create a Multiple Locus Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTR) Analysis (MLVA) to explore the genetic diversity within L. interrogans serovar Australis clinical isolates from Far North Queensland. RESULTS: The 39 reference strains used for the development of the method displayed 39 distinct patterns. Diversity Indexes for the loci varied between 0.80 and 0.93 and the number of repeat units at each locus varied between less than one to 52 repeats. When the MLVA was applied to serovar Australis isolates three large clusters were distinguishable, each comprising various hosts including Rattus species, human and canines. CONCLUSION: The MLVA described in this report, was easy to perform, analyse and was reproducible. The loci selected had high diversity allowing discrimination between serovars and also between strains within a serovar. This method provides a starting point on which improvements to the method and comparisons to other techniques can be made

Conceptualising Primary-Secondary School Transitions:A Systematic Mapping Review of Worldviews, Theories and Frameworks

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Exploring content and psychometric validity of newly developed assessment tools for itch and skin pain in atopic dermatitis.

BackgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disorder characterized by chronic inflammation, altered skin barrier function, and inflammatory cell skin infiltration that decreases health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The study objective was to understand the patient perspective of AD burden and determine suitable patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures.MethodsThis mixed methods study involved the collection of qualitative and quantitative information from adults (≥ 18 years old) and adolescents (12 - 17 years old) with clinician-confirmed AD regarding their experiences of AD symptoms and its impact on HRQoL. The first part of the study included three stages: in-person concept elicitation (CE) interviews, a 2-week daily electronic diary (eDiary) study, and in-person cognitive debriefing (CD) interviews. An Itch numeric rating scale (NRS) (v1.0) and a Skin Pain NRS (v1.0) evaluation during CD interviews required participants to think about their 'worst' itch and 'worst' skin pain in the past 24 h. Other PRO measures allowed for psychometric testing. The second part of the study involved telephone-depth interviews (TDIs) and qualitative feedback from participants who had not participated in the CD interviews. Qualitative data were thematically analyzed. Psychometric evaluation of NRS measures was performed using eDiary data.ResultsIn the CE interviews, itch and/or itching and skin pain were the most prevalent symptoms consistently discussed by participants. Both NRS measures demonstrated strong psychometric reliability and were applicable across ages with suitable concurrent validity. During the CD interviews, some participants focused their answers on their 'average' itch/itching in the past 24 h, rather than their 'worst' itch. Some participants answered the Skin Pain NRS thinking about general pain or other types of pain, rather than skin pain specifically. Consequently, modifications to both measures addressed these issues and re-tested as paper-and-pen versions in subsequent TDIs. Itch NRS (v2.0) modifications helped participants focus on their worst itching. Most participants preferred Skin Pain NRS v2.0b, which included skin pain descriptors.ConclusionsItching and skin pain are the most important and relevant AD symptoms. The Itch NRS (v2.0) and Skin Pain NRS (v2.0b) appear to be appropriate endpoints for the assessment of itching and skin pain severity for clinical trials with adults and adolescents with AD

International insights into how can we improve children’s emotional wellbeing over primary-secondary school transitions?

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International insights into how can we improve children’s emotional wellbeing over primary-secondary school transitions?

The transition from primary to secondary school provides children with opportunities and challenges that can impact their emotional experiences. Recognising that to date there is limited research which focuses on children's emotional experiences of primary-secondary school transition, a group of transitions researchers participated in a symposium at the British Psychological Society Psychology of Education Section Conference 2022, addressing this important topic. The purpose of the symposium was to bring together four international studies, which used different research designs to examine children’s emotional well-being over primary-secondary school transition. Through these talks and discussions which occurred during the symposium, current thinking, developments, and practice in this area, in addition to considering some of the challenges and opportunities present within primary-secondary school transitions research, are explored in order to better understand and support children’s emotional wellbeing over primary-secondary school transitions

High emission rate of sulfuric acid from Bezymianny volcano, Kamchatka

High concentrations of primary sulfuric acid (H2SO4) in fumarolic gases and high emission rate of sulfuric acid aerosol in the plume were measured at Bezymianny volcano, an active dome-growing andesitic volcano in central Kamchatka. Using direct sampling, filter pack sampling, and differential optical absorption spectroscopy measurements, we estimated an average emission of H2SO4 at 243 ± 75 t/d in addition to an average SO2 emission of 212 ± 65 t/d. The fumarolic gases of Bezymianny correspond to arc gases released by several magma bodies at different stages of degassing and contain 25-92% of entrained air. H2SO4 accounts for 6-87 mol% of the total sulfur content, 42.8 mol% on average, and SO2 is the rest. The high H2SO4 in Bezymianny fumaroles can be explained by catalytic oxidation of SO2 inside the volcanic dome. Because sulfate aerosol is impossible to measure remotely, the total sulfur content in a plume containing significant H2SO4 may be seriously underestimated