Age-based Considerations in Educating Children About Organ Transplantation

This study sought undergraduate nursing student views on the best method for educating children of different ages about organ transplantation when they are candidates for the procedure. This was a cross-sectional survey of volunteers who completed a questionnaire. For children under age 6, the students indicated most often that the best method to teach them was “Parents talk to the child.” For children aged 6-11, two answers were commonly provided: “One-on-one teaching by a transplant nurse” and “Group classes of children own age by transplantation team.” For children aged 12-17, the most common answer was “One-on-one teaching by transplant nurse.” As such, the child’s age greatly influenced their answers, an understandable and expected finding. However, it is important to consider that chronically-ill children who have had frequent healthcare experiences are likely to have different learning needs and abilities as compared to well children their own age, and so research is needed now to determine if conventional views about the way to teach them (and particularly those under the age of 6) are correct

Displacement reactions and fluorescence studies of boroxine amine complexes

The Boron atom has seen an increase in usefulness over the last half century due in part to the unique properties of boron that allow for dative binding. Aspects of the boron-nitrogen bond were examined through both displacement reactions, which were monitored by NMR, and photoluminescence studies done with a Fluorometer. Through the NMR study it was discovered that the dative bond is affected by both the electronic configuration of the boroxine and the pKa of the Lewis base being used for complexation. It appears that the displacement of pyridine from the original complex is dictated by the pKa of the displacing base; a stronger base leading to more complete displacement of pyridine from the complex. Using fluorimetry, several Lewis base-boroxine complexes were studied in order to observe possible differences in the ?max emission between the uncomplexed boroxine and the coupled base-boroxine pair, a behavior believed to be dependent on the shifting of electron density from the Lewis base towards the boroxine

Knowledge of the health personnel of a clinic in Bogotá about the Mandatory Quality Assurance System in Health Care

Esta investigación se basa en la normatividad colombiana, establecida en el Decreto 1011 del 2006, a partir de la cual se crean los estándares del Sistema Obligatorio de Garantía de Calidad de la Atención de Salud (SOGCS). Objetivo: evaluar el conocimiento que tienen los funcionarios de la clínica N respecto al SOGCS. Materiales y métodos: se aplicó una metodología descriptiva y evaluativa con la que se estableció el grado de conocimiento que tiene el personal que labora en la clínica acerca de esta normatividad. La muestra fue de 341 miembros del personal de todas las áreas de la clínica, seleccionados de manera aleatoria, a quienes se les aplicaron encuestas diseñadas para este estudio. Resultados: se evidenció desconocimiento sobre las generalidades del Decreto 1011 del 2006; sin embargo, se identificó que el personal encuestado conoce los estándares de la norma, dado que la institución se encuentra en proceso de habilitación, por lo que continuamente capacita a sus funcionarios. Conclusión: aunque el grado de conocimiento acerca del SOGCS es bueno, es necesario fortalecer el proceso de capacitación al personal en el conocimiento del Decreto 1011 del 2006.This research examines the regulations established in Decree 1011 of 2006 in Colombia, which allowed the creation of the standards of the Mandatory Quality Assurance System in Health Care (SOGCS, for its acronym in Spanish). Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of the personnel of the “N” clinic about SOGCS. Materials and methods: A descriptive and evaluative methodology was applied to assess the degree of knowledge of the personnel working at the clinic about these regulations. The sample consisted of 341 randomly selected staff members from all areas of the clinic, who were surveyed for this study. Results: It was possible to demonstrate a lack of awareness about the generalities of Decree 1011 of 2006; the study evidenced, however, that the surveyed personnel know about the normative standards, given that the institution is in the process of qualification and continuously trains its staff. Conclusion: Although the degree of knowledge about SOGCS is good, it is necessary to strengthen the training process of the personnel to improve their specific knowledge about Decree 1011 of 2006

Using a Key Informant Focus Group, Formative User Testing, and Theory to Guide Design of a Sleep Health BCSS

Designing effective applications is an important goal for software development researchers as well as practitioners. Researchers in the field of Persuasive Technologies have contributed significant theories intended to guide software developers. Yet due to the comprehensive nature of these theories as well as their recency, many aspects have not received much study—especially aspects that require integration of multiple theoretical perspectives. This paper applies a design science research approach to develop a sleep health app for use by college students. We use this setting to demonstrate how requirements gathered via a key informant focus group and formative user testing can be mapped to both persuasive system design and behavior change support system theories with the result of producing clear guidance for subsequent app design and assessment

Designing and Testing User-Centric Systems with both User Experience and Design Science Research Principles

The User Experience (UX) and Design Science Research (DSR) paradigms have much in common; they both contribute to Information Systems (IS) research by providing guidelines for designing successful Information Technology (IT) systems. We are working toward a research paradigm that combines the best elements of DSR and UX for designing user-centric IT systems with an outstanding user experience. To achieve this goal, we are jointly applying these two paradigms to develop an IT artifact (a sleep app). We will examine what we have learned from applying DSR and the UX principles and explore how these two paradigms individually and jointly can strengthen the design and development process for user-centric systems. Our initial results indicate that jointly using these two paradigms can strengthen the design and development process for user-centric systems and can be of great value to theory and practice

Determination of calcium, magnesium, and aluminum in Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) foliage and surrounding soil in the Great Smoky Mountains, Balsam Mountains, and Black Mountains using inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy

The Fraser fir (Abies Fraseri) is a conifer commonly found in the Eastern United States. In the Southern Appalachian Mountains Fraser fir share an ecosystem with Red Spruce (Picea rubens) in island-like stands typically above 1500 m. The Balsam Wooly Adelgid is recognized to be the primary reason for Fraser fir decline in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, but atmospheric deposition may also be involved. Acid deposition allows nutrients calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) to be leached from soil and foliage, and allows for mobilization of toxic metals like aluminum (Al3+) to become available for interaction with the fir. Investigation of these effects could summarize the intensity of acidic deposition in the Southern Appalachian Mountain ranges studied. Samples of Fraser fir foliage and surrounding soil were gathered from 8 sites in the Great Smoky Mountains, in the Balsam Mountains, and in the Black Mountains. 30 samples were collected from each site, divided into 3 classes of life stage (10 seedlings, 10 saplings, and 10 mature trees). Using an acid digestion method for foliage and a soil extraction method for exchangeable metals in soil, concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and aluminum were found using Inductively-Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy. Student's t-test, analysis of variance, and linear regression analysis were used to statistically compare the data. There was a considerable amount of correlation between foliar and exchangeable soil metal concentrations as a result of elevation or longitude. The 8 sites were divided in half based on elevation (4 sites above 1900 m, 4 sites below 1900 m), and comparisons were made. Western sites are closer in proximity to coal-burning power plants in Tennessee, so they were expected to exhibit increased effects of acid deposition. Foliar and exchangeable soil metal concentrations were tested against soil pH, and very little correlation was found. Three life stage classes of samples were acquired (seedlings, saplings, and mature trees) and expected to all have statistically similar concentrations of metals in both foliage and soil, but almost all were different. No correlation was found in soil exchangeable metal concentrations and foliar metal concentrations, but a trend existed in soil exchangeable aluminum and foliar calcium concentrations. The data from this experiment was also compared to previous studies from 1969, 1994, and 1996 at two different sites. The comparison to the 1996 study at Clingmans Dome showed differences in foliar magnesium and aluminum concentrations, with decreased toxic metal and increased nutrient concentrations as expected. Differences also existed when comparing foliar nutrient concentrations to the 1969 and 1994 studies at Richland Balsam. Since 1994, a decline in acid deposition related effects was observed, which could show success of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments

Determination of trace element provenance, Rio Loa Basin, northern Chile

The Atacama Desert, located between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes in northern Chile and southern Peru, is one of the driest regions on the planet. In spite of the extreme aridity, the Atacama is traversed by the Rio Loa, a perennial river which owes its continuous flow to precipitation and runoff at high elevations (>4000 m) along the western Andes, and the emergence of groundwater from thick alluvial aquifers. Water within the Rio Loa is an extremely important resource, but its water and sediment are contaminated, exhibiting levels of trace metals and metalloids that exceed drinking water standards (e.g., for arsenic) and threshold effect guidelines for aquatic biota (e.g., for copper, cadmium, antimony, and zinc). Previous studies, combined with data collected in 2009, suggest that trace metals/metalloids are derived from multiple sources, including El Tatio (a large geyser basin) and three large copper mines. Determination of the relative contribution of contaminants to the river from the geyser basin and the mines has proven problematic using spatial patterns in arsenic concentrations. This study utilizes both total elemental concentrations (arsenic, antimony, copper, and lead) along with isotopes of antimony and lead to distinguish contaminant sources in the Rio Loa. Additionally, a sequential extraction procedure provided additional geochemical understanding of the elemental dispersal pathways via sediment binding. Isotopes of antimony and lead did not provide enough information to distinguish contaminant sources. Total concentrations of arsenic, antimony, and copper proved to be more informative, the largest source of copper contamination was determined to be the copper mining operations of El Abra, Radiomiro Tomic, and Chuquicamata. But mining did not input significant quantities of arsenic or antimony, both of which were found in very high concentrations within the Rio Loa. Results showed that El Tatio Geyser Basin input most of the arsenic and antimony contamination. For this reason, a ratio of antimony/copper proved to be a good contaminant tracer to distinguish and quantify contaminated sediment from El Tatio and mining operations. This ratio was applied to floodplain cores and older terrace deposits to determine how sediments have been distributed within the basin over time. The El Tatio Geyser Basin proved to be the largest contaminator within the Rio Loa basin, mostly due to older terrace deposits, which are high in contamination from El Tatio, continually being eroded and re-worked into the floodplains and channel bed deposits of the lower reaches of the Rio Loa. Contaminated sediment from copper mining operations was not as relevant of a concern because copper transport downstream is inhibited by its adsorption onto Fe-Mn oxide rich particles, which are quickly deposited and/or diluted within the Rio San Salvador (a tributary) before reaching the Rio Loa

Bringing molecular tools into environmental resource management: Untangling the molecules to policy pathway

Increasingly, scientists are drawn to public debates on environmental policy, yet find themselves ill-equipped to influence the outcome. While many scientists have collected data (for example, on species being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act) or developed technologies (for example, to detect unregulated waterborne pollutants) relevant to current policy debates, communicating these results to policy makers is no guarantee that a rational policy response will follow. Biologists continually overemphasize the technical aspects of their work and almost completely ignore the social-political environment in which their work is meant to inform. Specifically, most biologists seem to believe that if they work out the technical hurdles and then effectively communicate their science to policy makers, their work will affect and change policy. This is a grievous mistake and one that has continued to reinforce the science/policy divide, rather than anneal it. Scientists who do receive training (RS was 2002–2003 Congressional Science Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, under the sponsorship of the Geological Society of America) quickly learn about the “three Ps”—policy, politics, and process—that govern lawmaking. Scientists tend to focus overwhelmingly on the first “P,” because policy is the one area where data and scientific expertise may be brought to bear. But policy does not move forward without attention to the often complex politics behind the policy, or the bureaucratic processes that must be navigated. Even once policy is made, its implementation may not follow the most scientifically appropriate methods. This is both because improved techniques may have been developed after the policy was enacted and because managers constrained by legislatively mandated protocols (no matter how outdated) have limited opportunity for feedback to policy makers

Taxagloss: A glossary and translation tool for biodiversity studies

Correctly identifying organisms is key to most biological research, and is especially critical in areas of biodiversity and conservation. Yet it remains one of the greatest challenges when studying all but the few well-established model systems. The challenge is in part due to the fact that most species have yet to be described, vanishing taxonomic expertise and the relative inaccessibility of taxonomic information. Furthermore, identification keys and other taxonomic resources are based on complex, taxon-specific vocabularies used to describe important morphological characters. Using these resources is made difficult by the fact that taxonomic documentation of the world's biodiversity is an international endeavour, and keys and field guides are not always available in the practitioner's native language. To address this challenge, we have developed a publicly available on-line illustrated multilingual glossary and translation tool for technical taxonomic terms using the Symbiota Software Project biodiversity platform. Illustrations, photographs and translations have been sourced from the global community of taxonomists working with marine invertebrates and seaweeds. These can be used as single-language illustrated glossaries or to make customized translation tables. The glossary has been launched with terms and illustrations of seaweeds, tunicates, sponges, hydrozoans, sea anemones, and nemerteans, and already includes translations into seven languages for some groups. Additional translations and development of terms for more taxa are underway, but the ultimate utility of this tool depends on active participation of the international taxonomic community