Application of a Multi-Objective Network Model to a Combat Simulation Game: The Drive on Metz Case Study

War games are routinely analyzed by the Department of Defense to study the players decision making process. This research develops a multicriteria model that enhances a war game players decision-making capability. The war game consists of a hexagonal-grid map of varying terrain that will be represent as a two-dimensional directed network. The network is obstructed by multiple enemy threats that expose a unit traversing the network to possible attack. The player is faced with the decision of choosing a route to a target node that balances the objectives of following the shortest path and maximizing the probability of success. A weighted arc cost matrix is supplied to Dijkstras shortest path algorithm to and an optimal route. Critical values of the ratio of the objective function weights determine where the optimal path changes. These values are determined on a test scenario for the war game The Drive On Metz

HIGHLY EMISSIVE CHIRAL LANTHANIDE(III) COMPLEXES FOR LABELLING AND IMAGING

Sensitised lanthanide complexes based on macrocyclic chelating ligands have been used extensively to study biological function at a cellular level, due to their very bright and long-lived emission, sharp emission bands and high stability to photo-degradation. These photophysical properties, in addition to their excellent chiroptical behaviour, also make these complexes promising candidates for security labelling and as anti-counterfeiting tools. Novel highly emissive chiral europium(III) complexes based on macrocyclic ligands have been synthesised and their photophysical properties studied. They possess high molar extinction coefficients and are amenable to excitation using commonly available light sources. These complexes have been resolved by chiral HPLC and the circularly polarised luminescence (CPL) spectra of their enantiomers recorded. They exhibit strong circularly polarised emission in response to excitation using near ultra-violet light, and are stable to thermally-activated racemisation. A simple off-the-shelf camera set up has been developed which is capable of discriminating ‘real’ europium(III) emission from emission from a ‘fake’ marking, based on emission lifetime and wavelength. Additionally, chiroptical discrimination has been achieved using a custom built microscope incorporating a quarter-wave plate and linear polariser. The solvent dependent emission behaviour of a series of C3-symmetric lanthanide(III) complexes has been studied, demonstrating that the form of the total emission and CPL is extremely sensitive to minor changes in the outer solvation sphere of the complex. Finally, macropinocytosis has been identified as the mechanism of cell uptake of this family of complexes in NIH-3T3 cells, and the internalisation and subsequent sub-cellular localisation has been shown to be dependent on complex chirality

Heterogeneous Perceptions of Social-Ecological Change Among Small-Scale Fishermen in the Central Gulf of California: Implications for Adaptive Response

As changes in climate, governance, and organization reshape the dynamics of small-scale fisheries around the globe, the persistence of many local livelihoods appears contingent upon the ability of resource users to respond and adapt. Though significant scholarship has considered the limiting roles of resources and infrastructure, recent research has highlighted the importance of local learning and knowledge. Rather than being driven by forces exogenous to local communities, it is increasingly recognized that adaptation may be limited by perceptions and processes within them. Here, we explore knowledge production and adaptive response within a small-scale fishery in the central Gulf of California following system perturbation. Using mixed methods from the natural and social sciences, we (1) identify local drivers of social-ecological change, (2) document knowledge concerning their causes and consequences across a diverse group of small-scale fishermen, and (3) identify patterns of intracultural agreement and disagreement associated with divergent adaptive response. Results indicate that perceptions of social-ecological change were heterogeneous and that gear ownership and target species diversification were critical factors in determining the cultural models through which fishermen understood and responded to changes in the resource system. Unlike other user groups, owner-operator fishermen pursuing generalist livelihood strategies held consensus beliefs regarding changes to system structure and function and demonstrated increased ability to modify fishing tactics with the best practices for sustainable use. Our findings highlight how local knowledge can be used to assess the proximate impacts of external drivers of change and provide insight into the cultural models influencing in situ decision-making and adaptive response within modern fishery systems

Application of Machine Vision to Detect Nuclear Labeled Cells in Full Mouse Brain Microscopy Data for the Study of Conditioned Taste Aversion

The purpose of this computational thesis was to compare two data pipelines for detecting cells in mouse brain microscopy data. The pipeline in question, Cellfinder, adds a machine vision step to classify cell candidates as either cells or artifacts. Cellfinder’s performance was compared to another pipeline Clearmap which used filtering and thresholding but no neural network classification step. Additionally, this thesis sought to evaluate Cellfinder’s classification for a larger data set with several notable differences compared to the data used in the original Cellfinder study. The data analysis step was part of a larger study on conditioned taste aversion in mice and the difference in the phenomenon between novel and familiar flavors. Several brain regions of interest, such as the Piriform area and Claustrum, had high cell counts and densities across all methods. However, the exact cell count numbers differed between Cellfinder and Clearmap. Training the Cellfinder network led to a large decrease in cell counts for all regions, likely due to a reduction in false positives. There remains room for improving the accuracy of Cellfinder, as training was only able to achieve a validation accuracy of 84%. Cellfinder also performed slowly on the Princeton computing cluster. Keywords: Machine Learning, Conditioned Taste Aversion, Cell Detectio

Self-talk, dialogic knowing, the Greek chorus and active learning in University

This article recounts a teaching method employed in a mental health module delivered in Ireland to international nursing students. In it the authors propose that there is a place for innovative teaching methods which combine active learning, dialogue, hard-fun and metacognition to stimulate student engagement and rich learning. We discuss an innovation ‘Movie-shoot’ which incorporated role-play with an analytical commentary by a Greek Chorus of nursing students. We argue this flexible teaching method enhanced active and rich learning, critical reflection and engagement and may be appropriate for use in nursing education

How effective are General Nurses in recognising and preventing delirium in hospitalised patients?

Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference 2019 (THECONF2019), Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, 6-7 March 2019The literature indicates that delirium is a common problem among hospitalized patients in the acute hospital settings. The prevalence of delirium is reported to be 20-30% on medical wards within the acute setting (NICE, 2010). It is also reported by the HSE (2015) that it is being missed up to 67% of the time. METHODS: The study design was a descriptive cross-sectional survey of practicing nurses in the general ward setting, using an anonymized questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into two sections, part A provided demographic characteristics and part B provided the level of knowledge the nurse will demonstrate on delirium. RESULTS: The questionnaire had a completion rate of 75% of the target population. Both electronic 30% and paper versions 70% of the questionnaire were used. Professional status was broken into three sections, Staff Nurse 62%, Nurse Specialist 17% and Nursing Management 21%. Years of experience was segregated into four sections, 0-5 years (9%), 6-10 years (10%), 11-20 years (43%) and finally 20 years or greater (38%). The participant’s level of knowledge on delirium was assessed by the 69 questions. The scores attained by the nurses from the knowledge questionnaire regarding delirium varied from 0 the lowest to 60 the highest, 41.31 +/- 12.883 being the average score. Scores were also viewed from professional status. Staff nurses (n=65) had a mean score of 41.25, +/- 13.552, Nurse Specialist Group (n=18) had a mean score of 42.83, +/- 12.803 and Nursing Management (n=22) had a mean score of 40.27, +/- 12.803. CONCLUSION: This under-recognition, along with increasing evidence regarding delirium treatment opinions emphasises the importance of a prompt accurate diagnosis. Improving delirium assessment to ensure early identification is critical for timely and effective management, yet delirium prevention, screening, recognition, and treatment are challenging for all levels of nurses.2021-02-03 JG: .ppt converted to PD

Teaching Approaches and Best Practice in Large Group Teaching for Novice Educators: Real-world Example

This paper focuses on teaching and learning approaches that assist novice and other educators in higher education. These principles are applied to a real-world example of an undergraduate teaching session inclusive of local and international nursing students. Educational theory pertaining to the session is briefly discussed, however, the focus is on the teaching and learning strategies applied. Specific attention is afforded to lesson planning, active learning, and the use of technology in large group teaching. The responsibility of the educator to promote teaching credibility, student engagement, and pre-lecture preparation is reviewed with reference to key literature, while strategies to achieve best practice are proposed

Impact of organisational change for leaders in mental health

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of organisational and structural change on the evolution of quality and safety in health organisations, specifically in mental health services. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews. In total, 25 executive management team members in both public and private mental health services were interviewed and data were analysed using Burnard’s framework. Findings – Three overarching themes emerged: organisational characteristics, leadership and accountability; sustaining collaboration and engagement with stakeholders; and challenges to and facilitators of quality and safety. Taken together, the findings speak to the disruptive and disorienting impact of on-going organisational change and restructuring on leaders’ ability to focus on, and advance, the quality and safety agenda. Research limitations/implications – Typical with qualitative research of this nature, the potentially limited generalisability of the findings must be acknowledged. Practical implications – There is a need for strategies to implement change that are informed by evidence and theory and informed by decades of research on this topic, rather than introduced ad hoc. Change agents must pair effective change management and implementation science strategies to specific contexts, depending on what is being implemented and ensure appropriate evaluation of organisational change to bolster the evidence base around quality and safety and inform future decision-making. Originality/value – The study explores an identified gap in the literature on the impact of on-going organisational re-structuring and transformation on the evolution of quality and safety in mental health services

Environmental and institutional degradation in the globalized economy: lessons from small-scale fisheries in the Gulf of California

External drivers increasingly impact small-scale fisheries worldwide. As globalization accelerates the flow of information, commodities, and capital across geographic space, neoliberal reforms have fueled the development of the international seafood trade. Small-scale fisheries traditionally driven by local forces and market demands are increasingly nested within the broader structures of global markets and international institutions. Building on existing work that integrates social-ecological systems thinking and critical social science theory, we address how globalization has transformed the social fabric of coastal fishing communities and consider the implications for institutional and environmental integrity. Using small-scale fisheries across the Gulf of California as an empirical example, we extend a theory of small-scale fisheries interactions proposed by development scholars to incorporate global market forces, considering how drivers operating at multiple temporal and geographic scales have influenced outcomes in one of the world's most diverse and productive marine ecosystems. We suggest that neoliberal reforms promoting the growth and development of an export-oriented seafood industry have restructured the relationships between small-scale fishermen, coastal communities, and the marine environment. As the benefits of trade liberalization have been captured by local elites, small-scale fishermen have been left increasingly vulnerable to the shocks and uncertainties associated with political, economic, and environmental change. By situating our findings within an emerging body of scholarship documenting parallel dynamics across diverse geographies, we argue that efforts to avoid and/or mitigate the tragedy of the commons within small-scale fishery systems must address the relationships between global markets, social and economic inequality, and local capacities for self-organization and collective action