Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), psychiatry and the clinical assessment of skills and competencies (CASC) : same evidence, different judgement

Background: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), originally developed in the 1970’s, has been hailed as the "gold standard" of clinical assessments for medical students and is used within medical schools throughout the world. The Clinical assessment of Skills and Competencies (CASC) is an OSCE used as a clinical examination gateway, granting access to becoming a senior Psychiatrist in the UK. Discussion: Van der Vleuten’s utility model is used to examine the CASC from the viewpoint of a senior psychiatrist. Reliability may be equivalent to more traditional examinations. Whilst the CASC is likely to have content validity, other forms of validity are untested and authenticity is poor. Educational impact has the potential to change facets of psychiatric professionalism and influence future patient care. There are doubts about acceptability from candidates and more senior psychiatrists. Summary: Whilst OSCEs may be the best choice for medical student examinations, their use in post graduate psychiatric examination in the UK is subject to challenge on the grounds of validity, authenticity and educational impact

Coupling bioturbation activity to metal (Fe and Mn) profiles in situ

This work was supported by a University of Aberdeen 6th century scholarship (awarded to L. T.), CEFAS Lowestoft (DP204), NERC NFSD support (08/02) and a SAMS research bursary (awarded to L. T)Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The coastal impact of ground water discharge : an assesment of anthropogenic nitrogen loading in Town Cove, Orleans, Massachusetts

Final Report (W.H.O.I. Proposal No. 2778) Prepared for the Board of Selectmen Town of Orleans, Massachusetts November 14, 1983The shores of Town Cove have been settled for three centuries. As for most of Cape Cod, small, sparsely populated farming and fishing villages of the eighteenth century have given way to a substantial population of permanent residents today, with influxes of summer vacation residents and visitors that can increase the population several fold. Increasing numbers of our senior citizens retire to life-long vacation homes here or build new ones. Most people are attracted to the area because of its natural resources---the clean seaside environment, low wooded hills and the sheltered embayments, such as Town Cove, with clean shellfish, safe recreation and peaceful vistas. Along with growth have come many of the problems of increased population pressure, such as disposal of wastes. Although this problem has several aspects, the one we are addressing has to do .with sewage, or more specifically, with the nitrogen compounds associated with sewage that enter the groundwater and find their way to lakes, ponds, swamps and to the shores of Town Cove. This report contains our findings and assessment of the impact and potential impact of nitrogen from human sources on the Town Cove ecosystem, as well as advice to the Town on the potential impact of diverting sewage nitrogen destined for Town Cove to a nearby saltmarsh. The decision on whether or not to spend substantial amounts of money to install sewers or a septage treatment plant depends on many kinds of technical, regulatory and economic information and projections into the future. In the end, it also depends significantly on individual perceptions of how things should be done and what is valuable. Our study is intended to fill an existing gap by providing expert technical information on how Town Cove works and what nitrogen has to do with it; we cannot provide the other information and are not able to make the Town's decision on whether to install sewers.Funded mostly by the Town of Orleans. Funds from the WHOI Sea Grant Program were used to initiate aspects of our research and paid half of Dr. Gaines' salary on this project. Also, Dr. Giblin's salary for this project came from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in the form of a Post Doctoral Fellowship awarded by the WHOI Coastal Research Center

Radiotelemetry Of Heart Rates From Free-Ranging Gulls

A lightweight radiotelemetry system with a range of 80 km was used to monitor heart rate from free-ranging Herring Gulls on flights of up to 20 km. Heart rate varied from 130 beats/min in a resting bird to 625 beats/min for sustained flight. Soaring birds showed rates similar to those of birds sitting quietly on the ground. Simultaneous records of telemetered heart rate and intraspecific conflict on the nesting island revealed that cardiac acceleration preceded overt visual communication. Intensely aggressive behavior was accompanied by heart rates approaching those of sustained flight. Heart rate as a measure of metabolic cost indicates that the gull\u27s behavioral adaptations for long-distance flight, food location and intraspecific communication result in major energy savings

Tracking radar studies of bird migration

The application of tracking radar for determining the flight paths of migratory birds is discussed. The effects produced by various meteorological parameters are described. Samples of radar scope presentations obtained during tracking studies are presented. The characteristics of the radars and their limitations are examined

The use of pCO2 for the calculation of biological production, with examples from waters off Massachusetts

The use of pCO2 for the study of biological production in natural waters has advantages over the use of oxygen related to the persistence of changes in pCO2, the magnitude of the changes, and the possibility of making continuous recordings of surface-water pCO2 from a ship underway. The method of calculating biological production is discussed and illustrated with data from coastal waters off Massachusetts

The interaction between science and policy in the control of Phragmites in oligohaline marshes of Delaware Bay

Author Posting. © Blackwell, 2005. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Blackwell for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Restoration Ecology 13 (2005):223-227, doi:10.1111/j.1526-100X.2005.00027.xPublic Service Enterprise Group of New Jersey restored Delaware Bay marshes to enhance fish production as part of a mitigation negotiated in a company’s NJPDES permit. Restoration meant control of an introduced type of the common reed, Phragmites, that had displaced Spartina alterniflora and S. patens. Phragmites dominance altered the function and structure of these brackish marshes and reduced habitat value by raising and flattening marsh surface and covering smaller tidal creeks. A common control technique is to use an herbicide – Glyphosate, but public concern about herbicide use resulted in an agreement between PSEG and NJ regulators to test other methods for reed control and limit the amount of herbicide used. Experiments with methods of Phragmites control indicate that herbicide application over three or more growing seasons, concentrating in an area until control was complete, is the most effective control method

Hydrocarbon incorporation into the salt marsh ecosystem from the West Falmouth oil spill

Originally issued as Reference No. 71-69, series later renamed WHOI-.The oil barge "Florida" ran aground just off Little Island, West Falmouth, Massachusetts on September 16, 1969. About 175,000 gallons of Number Two fuel oil leaked into Buzzards Bay and the adjacent Wild Harbor Marsh. This report presents the results of analyses done on marsh muds and organisms collected nearly a year after the spill. We studied the incorporation of polluting hydrocarbons into, and their movement through the marsh ecosystem. Analyses of surface muds agreed well with observations on plant growth. The dead areas were the most heavily polluted. A deep mud core in the dead area showed oil has penetrated to at least 70 cm. Virtually all the marsh organisms living in the contaminated area were affected by the oil at least to the extent that they accumulated oil hydrocarbons in their tissues. Our data suggest that two processes may occur as the oil passes through the marsh ecosystem. There may be a progressive loss in the straight chain hydrocarbons in relation to branched chain, cyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons. There also appears to be a selection for the higher boiling fractions of the contaminants higher up the food chain.Supported by the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, Fish and Wildlife Service Grant No. 14-17-0007- 1128 (G) and The National Science Foundation Grant No. GA 28365

The Effect of Air Temperature on the Incubation Period and Hatching Success of In Situ Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Clutches in Broward County, Florida

The survival rates of pre-emergent sea turtle hatchlings are critically dependent upon temperature. This study aims to determine if changes in air temperature have influenced the incubation time and/or the survivorship of the pre-emergent loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) hatchlings for past sea turtle nesting seasons in Broward County. Air temperature data within the hatching seasons of 1999 to 2009 was obtained from the NOAA National Climatic Data Center’s Fort Lauderdale beach station. The loggerhead sea turtle hatching data collected by the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program from the same time period was examined to assess the potential effects of air temperature on the hatching success and the incubation duration. This was performed primarily to determine if any trends or significance exist in the relationships among the aforementioned parameters. More specifically an analysis of trends in mean yearly sea turtle incubation durations was assessed and any correlations between incubation times and hatching success were also examined. Furthermore the relationship between incubation durations and mean seasonal and intraseasonal air temperature fluctuations was tested for significance. Preliminary results for this study have shown a significant upward trend in the seasonal average incubation durations from 2003 to 2009 (t-test, p \u3c 0.05). The mean incubation period for this study was 50.78 + 1.2 (mean + SD). Over the seasons the mean daily air temperature fluctuated between yearly averages of 23.3 and 26.9 °C and had an overall mean of 25.98 + 1.9 °C (mean + SD). Statistical analyses indicate a significant negative association between the incubation duration and the average daily air temperature (t-test, p \u3c\u3c 0.001). Further work pertaining to intra-seasonal analysis continues to be in progress. In Broward County alone, there was a continuous reduction in the number of loggerhead nests deposited each year throughout this study period. Determining if the effects of air temperature have significantly influenced loggerhead sea turtle clutches in Broward County might provide future insights for sustaining the survival rates of sea turtles in this area