Fighting covid-19 outbreaks in prisons

Improving prison health services is critical for fighting epidemics such as covid-19. Prisoners are at much higher risk of infectious diseases than communities outside. Eruption of covid-19 in prisons emphasises the need to improve prison healthcare. Health education for inmates and prison staff must be intensified, and better treatment and prevention measures require increased funding. More non-custodial sentences would decongest prisons, reducing the potential for the outbreaks. Links between prison and national health services should be strengthened

Stability of a liquid thread and stability and nonlinear evolution of multi-layer fluid flow

This thesis is concerned with stability and existence of waves in interfacial and free surface problems. Considered is the curtain coating problem, with specific emphasis on trilayer and bilayer flows, and the breakup of a viscous thread with a solid core. Experiments on curtain coating and sheet breakup are mostly conducted by industry and as such are hidden in patents or kept secret by companies trying to gain an edge in a competitive market. Experiments on curtain breakup concentrating on the effect that surfactants have upon the stability and the effect of differing fluid properties are discussed. It is shown that multiple layers of different fluid are more stable when reducing the flow rate of the lowest layer. Single and multi-layer fluid flow down an inclined plane is studied with the emphasis on the effect of an insoluble surfactant. Bilayer and trilayer flow down an inclined plane is considered. The main point of interest here is the existence of multiple unstable modes for a single set of parameters. A long wave model describing the multi-layer flow is discussed. Time-dependent solutions to this model system lead to the discovery of travelling wave solutions present in the dynamics. The travelling wave solutions are further investigated through Fourier analysis leading to the discovery of branches of solutions emerging from wavenumbers for which the flow is neutrally stable. The normal mode stability of annular Stokes flow of a viscous thread with a solid core is discussed which extends work done for negligible viscosity and small wavenumbers

The Siri epic as an ethnographic model for critically reimagining performance in Judges 5 and Exodus 15

At present, the methodological approaches used to explore performance in framed songs–specifically, Judges 5 and Exodus 15–are dominated by an inherited paradigm that largely precludes non-evolutionist models of text. This thesis argues that non-biblical ethnographic performances such as the Siri epic performance that incorporate the empirically derived insights of real or even imagined traditional performers, along with the conceptual vocabulary and epistemological categories that their reception elicits, can help us to re-imagine performance, and in so doing, unearth previously unexplored dimensions of the biblical text that evolutionist textual frameworks would otherwise foreclose. This research engages with the work of Finnish folklorist and comparative religion scholar Lauri Honko on tradition ecology, and particularly his reception of the Siri epic from Karnataka, south India. The ritual performance of the Siri epic involves embodiment, where the singers are perceived as being inhabited by deity and exhibit ecstatic behaviours. In this thesis, the Siri epic and its performance is employed, not as a direct comparison with Judges 5 and Exodus 15, nor as a hermeneutical lens through which the biblical text ought to be interpreted. Rather, it is suggested that reading ethnographic works such as the Siri epic alongside framed songs can provide us with a framework to critically reimagine performance in the story world of the text. The heuristic process of critically reimagining performance in framed songs using ethnographic works can enrich scholarship by providing a critical and empirical framework where non-evolutionist textual models can be explored, leading to new insights and fresh questions. Questions like, to what extent do the audiences in the story world of Judges 5 and Exodus 15 do literary work in the text? While this process of critically reimagining performance as a research method is a hypothetical exercise, it is also an exercise that ultimately leads scholars back to the biblical text but with a newfound ethnographically informed perspective. In so doing, this thesis emphasises the importance of embracing diversity of method, person, and perspective

A comparative study on the clinical decision making processes of nurse practitioners versus medical doctors using scenarios within a secondary care environment

Subjects This study was conducted from May 2012 to January 2013.Aim To investigate the decision-making skills of secondary care nurse practitioners compared to those of medical doctors.Background A literature review was conducted, searching for articles published from 1990 to 2012. The review found that nurse practitioners are key to the modernisation of the National Health Service. Studies have shown that compared to doctors, nurse practitioners can be efficient and cost-effective in consultations.Design Qualitative research design. Methods The information processing theory and think-aloud approach were used to understand the cognitive processes of 10 participants (5 doctors and 5 nurse practitioners). One nurse practitioner was paired with one doctor from the same speciality, and they were compared using a structured scenario-based interview. To ensure that all critical and relevant cues were covered by the individual participating in the scenario, a reference model was used to measure the degree of successful diagnosis, management and treatment.Results The data were processed for 5 months, from July to November 2012. The two groups of practitioners differed in the number of cue acquisitions obtained in the scenarios. In our study, nurse practitioners took three minutes longer to complete the scenarios. Conclusion This study suggests that nurse practitioner consultations are comparable to those of medical doctors within a secondary care environment in terms of correct diagnoses and therapeutic treatments. The information processing theory highlighted that both groups of professionals had similar models for decision-making processes.NH

Hydroecological impacts of climate change modelled for a lowland UK wetland

Conservation management of wetlands often rests on modifying hydrological functions to establish or maintain desired flora and fauna. Hence the ability to predict the impacts of climate change is highly beneficial. Here, the physically based, distributed model MIKE SHE was used to simulate hydrology for the Lambourn Observatory at Boxford, UK. This comprises a 10 ha lowland riparian wetland protected for conservation, where the degree of variability in the peat, gravel and chalk geology has clouded hydrological understanding. Notably, a weathered layer on the chalk aquifer surface seals it from overlying deposits, yet is highly spatially heterogeneous. Long-term monitoring yielded observations of groundwater and surface water levels for model calibration and validation. Simulated results were consistent with observed data and reproduced the effects of seasonal fluctuations and in-channel macrophyte growth. The adjacent river and subsidiary channel were found to act as head boundaries, exerting a general control on water levels across the site. Discrete areas of groundwater upwellings caused raised water levels at distinct locations within the wetland. These were concurrent to regions where the weathered chalk layer is absent. To assess impacts of climate change, outputs from the UK Climate Projections 2009 ensemble of global climate models for the 2080s are used to obtain monthly percentage changes in climate variables. Changes in groundwater levels were taken from a regional model of the Chalk aquifer. Values of precipitation and evapotranspiration were seen to increase, whilst groundwater levels decreased, resulting in the greater dominance of precipitation. The discrete areas of groundwater upwelling were seen to diminish or disappear. Simulated water levels were linked to specific requirements of wetland plants using water table depth zone diagrams. Increasing depth of winter and summer groundwater levels leads to a loss of Glyceria maxima and Phragmites australis, principal habitat for the endangered Vertigo moulinsiana. Further, the reduced influx of base-rich groundwater and increased dominance of high pH rain-fed waters alters the acidity of the soil. This leads to changes in species composition, with potential reductions in Carex paniculata, Caltha palustris and Typha latifolia

Protect the giant ibis through the pandemic

The giant ibis (Thaumatibis gigantea), Cambodia’s national bird, is edging toward extinction. The ibis’s historical range stretched across Southeast Asia, but only 194 critically endangered individuals remain, constrained to the northeastern region of Cambodia. The small population suffers from habitat loss and disturbance caused by human activities, and tensions between humans and wildlife have escalated during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In April, 3 giant ibises and more than 100 other birds were poached in Cambodia’s Chhep Wildlife Sanctuary. To save the giant ibis, conservation efforts must continue, even during the pandemic

Management Strategies for Traumatic Injuries in Pregnant Women: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Introduction: Traumatic injuries in pregnant women are the leading cause of non-obstetric death and affect 6% to 8% of all pregnancies. Therefore, it is imperative to maintain updated guidelines to construct a framework for the optimal management strategies for traumatic injuries in pregnant women, considering the perspectives of obstetrics/gynecology, emergency medicine, and orthopedics. Methods: To conduct this study, research was done via a database search through the Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine’s research library. PubMed was the sole database used to review 8 peer-reviewed sources. Articles that were published within the last 10 years were chosen. Results: Every woman with significant traumatic injuries must have pregnancy ruled out given its unique physiologic characteristics. First responders gather history surrounding fetal movement, contractions, and vaginal bleeding. Stabilization includes fetal monitoring, fluid resuscitation, blood transfusions, and maternal repositioning. Laboratory studies and diagnostic imaging (ultrasound) do not harm the mother or baby and reflect fetal status. Sometimes, emergency cesarean delivery (≤ 5 minutes of arrest) is indicated. There are some reports of fetal survival and maternal benefit beyond 15 minutes of arrest. Domestic violence is the most common trauma mechanism for pregnant women and triggers several obstetric complications (fetal loss, pre-term delivery, and placental abruption). Conclusion: Adverse outcomes of pregnancy happen more frequently following trauma. Non-emergent trauma may be managed conservatively, delaying treatment until after delivery. Surgical positioning, medication administration, and diagnostic imaging determine the best outcomes for the mother and child