3,150 research outputs found
Effectiveness of simulation on promoting student nurses management skills
The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of simulation on promoting student nurses management skills. A review of the literature suggests that newly qualified nurses are not adequately prepared for their role as staff nurse. Deficits in management skills are the main areas of concern for both newly qualified staff and hospital
employers. Consequently, all involved in students’ clinical learning environment are charged with the responsibility to devise sound innovative and effective teaching methodologies to prepare students for their role as staff nurse upon registration. A simulation exercise was conducted in Dublin City University by the Clinical Education Centre project team for fourth year general undergraduate student nurses. The main focus of the simulation was to promote consolidation of knowledge in the areas of organisation and management of patient caseload, clinical practice, and communication, legal, ethical and professional issues. A qualitative and quantitative approach was used for this study. Ninety students participated in the simulation exercise and 68 completed the questionnaire. Six focus group interviews were conducted with 15 students in each group. Results identified that simulation is a realistic and enjoyable way of learning and helped prepare students for their clinical role as staff nurse. Students indicated that they felt the exercise had helped them to consolidate their previous knowledge, felt more confident and were able to determine their own learning needs. However, participating in the simulation exercise was also seen as a stressful experience for some students. In conclusion, simulation used as an educational strategy running parallel and closely linked with clinical experience, is a powerful tool to prepare students for their role as staff nurse. It allows students to reflect on and learn from their strengths and weakness
promoting improvement on their management skills and enhancing nursing services
The production and deployment of an on-line video learning bank in a skills training environment
Context and Background:
Nursing students are taught many skills to prepare them for their practical experience in the clinical environment.
To date these skills have been taught to students using a demonstration and practice technique. This teaching method has a number of disadvantages:
- it is highly resource intensive
- learning experiences vary depending on the mix of demonstration and practice in each session
- it can be difficult for students to absorb all of the information presented in a single demonstration.
It was decided that video technology incorporating the deployment of a skills video bank over a web server, in conjunction with a shift in emphasis in the teaching contact sessions could provide a useful tool to aid the teaching process.
Aim of the paper
The aim of the paper is to disseminate our experiences of producing a large scale audiovisual learning package.
The Production Process
The first step involved the production of a video demonstrating a particular clinical skill, aseptic technique. This replaced the demonstration element of the skills session. Students viewed it online before the skills session and then spent the time allotted to this skill practising it under supervision. It was evaluated positively by students and the lecturer involved.
As a result, a bank of 17 more videos focussing on fundamental skills within one first year module was developed in-house. The main focus of this paper will be on the production processes involved in this and its introduction into teaching practice
CHASEtown - a VLE for the education and training of health care professionals
CHASEtown is a virtual learning environment aimed at the education and training of healthcare professionals. On the front end the system is based on a location based metaphor which makes for a easy to use GUI while on the back end it is completely flexible, allowing for an imaginative linking of it component parts of location, people and case studies. A unique feature of the system is its ability to trace a case study and patient over time
The complete mitochondrial genome of record-breaking migrant Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea)
The analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) base composition, codon usage, and genome arrangement patterns can provide insight into metabolic pathways and evolutionary history. Here, we report on the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) a species notable for undertaking the longest migrations of any species as well as breeding in sub-polar habitats and capable of enduring extreme altitude. The complete mitogenome was 16,708 bp long and was typical of other avian mitogenomes in size and content. The phylogenetic position of the Arctic tern within Charadriiformes based on the coding region on the mtDNA corresponded closely to that based on nuclear loci. The sequence will provide a useful resource for investigations of metabolic adaptations of this remarkable species
PhOTO Zebrafish: A Transgenic Resource for In Vivo Lineage Tracing during Development and Regeneration
Background: Elucidating the complex cell dynamics (divisions, movement, morphological changes, etc.) underlying embryonic development and adult tissue regeneration requires an efficient means to track cells with high fidelity in space and time. To satisfy this criterion, we developed a transgenic zebrafish line, called PhOTO, that allows photoconvertible optical tracking of nuclear and membrane dynamics in vivo.
Methodology: PhOTO zebrafish ubiquitously express targeted blue fluorescent protein (FP) Cerulean and photoconvertible FP Dendra2 fusions, allowing for instantaneous, precise targeting and tracking of any number of cells using Dendra2 photoconversion while simultaneously monitoring global cell behavior and morphology. Expression persists through adulthood, making the PhOTO zebrafish an excellent tool for studying tissue regeneration: after tail fin amputation and photoconversion of a ~100µm stripe along the cut area, marked differences seen in how cells contribute to the new tissue give detailed insight into the dynamic process of regeneration. Photoconverted cells that contributed to the regenerate were separated into three distinct populations corresponding to the extent of cell division 7 days after amputation, and a subset of cells that divided the least were organized into an evenly spaced, linear orientation along the length of the newly regenerating fin.
Conclusions/Significance: PhOTO zebrafish have wide applicability for lineage tracing at the systems-level in the early embryo as well as in the adult, making them ideal candidate tools for future research in development, traumatic injury and regeneration, cancer progression, and stem cell behavior
Search for R-Parity Violating Decays of Scalar Fermions at LEP
A search for pair-produced scalar fermions under the assumption that R-parity
is not conserved has been performed using data collected with the OPAL detector
at LEP. The data samples analysed correspond to an integrated luminosity of
about 610 pb-1 collected at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) 189-209 GeV. An
important consequence of R-parity violation is that the lightest supersymmetric
particle is expected to be unstable. Searches of R-parity violating decays of
charged sleptons, sneutrinos and squarks have been performed under the
assumptions that the lightest supersymmetric particle decays promptly and that
only one of the R-parity violating couplings is dominant for each of the decay
modes considered. Such processes would yield final states consisting of
leptons, jets, or both with or without missing energy. No significant
single-like excess of events has been observed with respect to the Standard
Model expectations. Limits on the production cross- section of scalar fermions
in R-parity violating scenarios are obtained. Constraints on the supersymmetric
particle masses are also presented in an R-parity violating framework analogous
to the Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.Comment: 51 pages, 24 figures, Submitted to Eur. Phys. J.
Tests of model of color reconnection and a search for glueballs using gluon jets with a rapidity gap
Gluon jets with a mean energy of 22 GeV and purity of 95% are selected from
hadronic Z0 decay events produced in e+e- annihilations. A subsample of these
jets is identified which exhibits a large gap in the rapidity distribution of
particles within the jet. After imposing the requirement of a rapidity gap, the
gluon jet purity is 86%. These jets are observed to demonstrate a high degree
of sensitivity to the presence of color reconnection, i.e. higher order QCD
processes affecting the underlying color structure. We use our data to test
three QCD models which include a simulation of color reconnection: one in the
Ariadne Monte Carlo, one in the Herwig Monte Carlo, and the other by Rathsman
in the Pythia Monte Carlo. We find the Rathsman and Ariadne color reconnection
models can describe our gluon jet measurements only if very large values are
used for the cutoff parameters which serve to terminate the parton showers, and
that the description of inclusive Z0 data is significantly degraded in this
case. We conclude that color reconnection as implemented by these two models is
disfavored. The signal from the Herwig color reconnection model is less clear
and we do not obtain a definite conclusion concerning this model. In a separate
study, we follow recent theoretical suggestions and search for glueball-like
objects in the leading part of the gluon jets. No clear evidence is observed
for these objects.Comment: 42 pages, 18 figure
Measurement of the Hadronic Photon Structure Function F_2^gamma at LEP2
The hadronic structure function of the photon F_2^gamma is measured as a
function of Bjorken x and of the factorisation scale Q^2 using data taken by
the OPAL detector at LEP. Previous OPAL measurements of the x dependence of
F_2^gamma are extended to an average Q^2 of 767 GeV^2. The Q^2 evolution of
F_2^gamma is studied for average Q^2 between 11.9 and 1051 GeV^2. As predicted
by QCD, the data show positive scaling violations in F_2^gamma. Several
parameterisations of F_2^gamma are in agreement with the measurements whereas
the quark-parton model prediction fails to describe the data.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of Photon 2001,
Ascona, Switzerlan
Search for the Standard Model Higgs Boson with the OPAL Detector at LEP
This paper summarises the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson in e+e-
collisions at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV performed by the OPAL
Collaboration at LEP. The consistency of the data with the background
hypothesis and various Higgs boson mass hypotheses is examined. No indication
of a signal is found in the data and a lower bound of 112.7GeV/C^2 is obtained
on the mass of the Standard Model Higgs boson at the 95% CL.Comment: 51 pages, 21 figure
Search for Yukawa Production of a Light Neutral Higgs Boson at LEP
Within a Two-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) a search for a light Higgs boson in
the mass range of 4-12 GeV has been performed in the Yukawa process e+e- -> b
bbar A/h -> b bbar tau+tau-, using the data collected by the OPAL detector at
LEP between 1992 and 1995 in e+e- collisions at about 91 GeV centre-of-mass
energy. A likelihood selection is applied to separate background and signal.
The number of observed events is in good agreement with the expected
background. Within a CP-conserving 2HDM type II model the cross-section for
Yukawa production depends on xiAd = |tan beta| and xihd = |sin alpha/cos beta|
for the production of the CP-odd A and the CP-even h, respectively, where tan
beta is the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the Higgs doublets and
alpha is the mixing angle between the neutral CP-even Higgs bosons. From our
data 95% C.L. upper limits are derived for xiAd within the range of 8.5 to 13.6
and for xihd between 8.2 to 13.7, depending on the mass of the Higgs boson,
assuming a branching fraction into tau+tau- of 100%. An interpretation of the
limits within a 2HDM type II model with Standard Model particle content is
given. These results impose constraints on several models that have been
proposed to explain the recent BNL measurement of the muon anomalous magnetic
moment.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Euro. Phys. J.
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