Stressors Experienced By Emergency Department Registered Nurses At The Bedside: A Phenomenological Study

The Emergency Department (ED) as a workplace for the Registered Nurse (RN) is a stressful environment. Reasons are thought to include interactions with other members of the interdisciplinary team as well as the situations associated with the environment of the ED such as trauma, death, sadness, joy and the general unpredictability of each moment. Studies have documented general health care workplace stress and its influence on staff, but a very limited number of studies have concentrated on the ED. No widely published studies have identified stressors from the perspective of the ED RN. This dissertation is an interpretive phenomenological study that seeks to understand the experience of being an ED RN through the exploration of the perceptions of stress as lived by individuals who practice their art and science in this unique setting. Materials for evaluation and thematic identification were obtained through personal interviews of practicing nurses. The stories told by the participants communicated what each individual found to be negatively stressful as well as what each found to be positively stressful. Conclusions based on the findings of this work suggest a need for the ED RN to be able to depend on the presence of several factors in order to be able to function with as little distress as possible. The optimal ED environment for the RN is posited to be supportive of the individual goals of the RN, provide adequate resources and foster a communicative interdisciplinary environment. Recommendations are made to improve resource management and interdisciplinary relation

Application of resonance Raman LIDAR for chemical species identification

BNL has been developing a remote sensing technique for the detection of atmospheric pollutants based on the phenomenon of resonance Raman LIDAR that has also incorporated a number of new techniques/technologies designed to extend it`s performance envelope. When the excitation frequency approaches an allowed electronic transition of the molecule, an enormous enhancement of the inelastic scattering cross-section can occur, often up to 2 to 4 orders-of-magnitude, and is referred to as resonance Raman (RR), since the excitation frequency is in resonance with an allowed electronic transition. Exploitation of this enhancement along with new techniques such as pattern recognition algorithms to take advantage of the spectral fingerprint and a new laser frequency modulation technique designed to suppress broadband fluorescence, referred to as Frequency modulated Excitation Raman Spectroscopy (FreMERS) and recent developments in liquid edge filter technology, for suppression of the elastic channel, all help increase the overall performance of Raman LIDAR

The Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay (LEGEND)

The observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay (0${\nu}{\beta}{\beta}$) would show that lepton number is violated, reveal that neutrinos are Majorana particles, and provide information on neutrino mass. A discovery-capable experiment covering the inverted ordering region, with effective Majorana neutrino masses of 15 - 50 meV, will require a tonne-scale experiment with excellent energy resolution and extremely low backgrounds, at the level of $\sim$0.1 count /(FWHM$\cdot$t$\cdot$yr) in the region of the signal. The current generation $^{76}$Ge experiments GERDA and the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR utilizing high purity Germanium detectors with an intrinsic energy resolution of 0.12%, have achieved the lowest backgrounds by over an order of magnitude in the 0${\nu}{\beta}{\beta}$ signal region of all 0${\nu}{\beta}{\beta}$ experiments. Building on this success, the LEGEND collaboration has been formed to pursue a tonne-scale $^{76}$Ge experiment. The collaboration aims to develop a phased 0${\nu}{\beta}{\beta}$ experimental program with discovery potential at a half-life approaching or at $10^{28}$ years, using existing resources as appropriate to expedite physics results.Comment: Proceedings of the MEDEX'17 meeting (Prague, May 29 - June 2, 2017

The influence of speed and size on avian terrestrial locomotor biomechanics: predicting locomotion in extinct theropod dinosaurs

How extinct, non-avian theropod dinosaurs moved is a subject of considerable interest and controversy. A better understanding of non-avian theropod locomotion can be achieved by better understanding terrestrial locomotor biomechanics in their modern descendants, birds. Despite much research on the subject, avian terrestrial locomotion remains little explored in regards to how kinematic and kinetic factors vary together with speed and body size. Here, terrestrial locomotion was investigated in twelve species of ground-dwelling bird, spanning a 1,780-fold range in body mass, across almost their entire speed range. Particular attention was devoted to the ground reaction force (GRF), the force that the feet exert upon the ground. Comparable data for the only other extant obligate, striding biped, humans, were also collected and studied. In birds, all kinematic and kinetic parameters examined changed continuously with increasing speed, while in humans all but one of those same parameters changed abruptly at the walk-run transition. This result supports previous studies that show birds to have a highly continuous locomotor repertoire compared to humans, where discrete ‘walking’ and ‘running’ gaits are not easily distinguished based on kinematic patterns alone. The influences of speed and body size on kinematic and kinetic factors in birds are developed into a set of predictive relationships that may be applied to extinct, non-avian theropods. The resulting predictive model is able to explain 79–93% of the observed variation in kinematics and 69–83% of the observed variation in GRFs, and also performs well in extrapolation tests. However, this study also found that the location of the whole-body centre of mass may exert an important influence on the nature of the GRF, and hence some caution is warranted, in lieu of further investigation

Rational design of polymer-based absorbents: application to the fermentation inhibitor furfural

BACKGROUND: Reducing the amount of water-soluble fermentation inhibitors like furfural is critical for downstream bio-processing steps to biofuels. A theoretical approach for tailoring absorption polymers to reduce these pretreatment contaminants would be useful for optimal bioprocess design. RESULTS: Experiments were performed to measure aqueous furfural partitioning into polymer resins of 5 bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (epoxy) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Experimentally measured partitioning of furfural between water and PDMS, the more hydrophobic polymer, showed poor performance, with the logarithm of PDMS-to-water partition coefficient falling between −0.62 and −0.24 (95% confidence). In contrast, the fast setting epoxy was found to effectively partition furfural with the logarithm of the epoxy-to-water partition coefficient falling between 0.41 and 0.81 (95% confidence). Flory-Huggins theory is used to predict the partitioning of furfural into diverse polymer absorbents and is useful for predicting these results. CONCLUSION: We show that Flory-Huggins theory can be adapted to guide the selection of polymer adsorbents for the separation of low molecular weight organic species from aqueous solutions. This work lays the groundwork for the general design of polymers for the separation of a wide range of inhibitory compounds in biomass pretreatment streams

Can climate change affect sediment transport in a watershed?

The hydrologic cycle is very sensitive to climatologic factors. Therefore there is concern related to the effects a changing global climate will have on water resources. Many recent studies have been undertaken to address the potential effects of climate change on water resources; however little research has been undertaken to specifically address the effects on sediment transport. Global climate change is projected to have differing effects on regional climatologic factors. Studies have indicated the likelihood of an increase in the frequency of heavy precipitation events in Michigan. This possibility is of concern due to the sometimes adverse consequences of such extreme events. One of the many factors that would be affected by an increase in the frequency of such events is the quantity of sediment transport in regional rivers. The effects of climate change are expected to manifest themselves differently in different regions. This is due to the complex climatologic interactions that contribute to each regional climate. Literature is reviewed in this paper to set the stage for future research regarding climate change, specifically precipitation change, effects on sediment transport, with an emphasis on Michigan Rivers. © 2010 ASCE

Current state of knowledge in effects of climate change on watershed behavior

Global climate change will have many effects on various aspects of our lives, and in particular on watershed issues such as drought, flooding, sediment behavior, and pollution runoff. This paper will summarize these pertinent issues and relate the current state of the knowledge in this field through a detailed literature review. © 2007 ASCE

Thirteen Years And Counting: Outcomes Of A Concurrent Asn/Bsn Enrollment Program

In their 2011 report, The Future of Nursing, the Institute of Medicine called for 80% of the nursing workforce to be comprised of baccalaureate prepared Registered Nurses by the year 2020. One suggested approach to achieve this goal is the creation of programs that allow students to progress through associate and baccalaureate nursing preparation simultaneously. This paper describes the University of Central Florida\u27s 13-year experience after implementing a Concurrent Enrollment Program. Development and structure of the program, advisement and curriculum details, facilitators and barriers are described. Data on National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses pass rates, completion rates, comparison with traditional RN-BSN students, and progression to graduate school are also included. The Concurrent Program model described here between a specific university and state college partners, demonstrated positive outcomes that support achievement of the Institute of Medicine\u27s goals