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Selected AbstractsNanobiomaterials and Nanoanalysis: Opportunities for Improving the Science to Benefit Biomedical Technologies,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 5 2008W. Grainger Abstract Nanomaterials advocated for biomedical applications must exhibit well-controlled surface properties to achieve optimum performance in complex biological or physiological fluids. Dispersed materials with extremely high specific surface areas require as extensive characterization as their macroscale biomaterials analogues. However, current literature is replete with many examples of nanophase materials, most notably nanoparticles, with little emphasis placed on reporting rigorous surface analysis or characterization, or in formal implementation of surface property standards needed to validate structure-property relationships for biomedical applications. Correlations of nanophase surface properties with their stability, toxicity and biodistributions are essential for in vivo applications. Surface contamination is likely, given their processing conditions and interfacial energies. Leaching adventitious adsorbates from high surface area nanomaterials is a possible toxicity mechanism. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), long known as a ubiquitous contaminant in clean room conditions, chemical synthesis and microfabrication, remains a likely culprit in nanosystems fabrication, especially in synthesis, soft lithography and contact molding methods. New standards and expectations for analyzing the interfacial properties of nanoparticles and nano-fabricated technologies are required. Surface science analytical rigor similar to that applied to biomedical devices, nanophases in microelectronics and heterogeneous catalysts should serve as a model for nanomaterials characterization in biomedical technologies. [source] How people live with or get over being suicidal: a review of qualitative studiesJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2008Richard Lakeman Abstract Title.,How people live with or get over being suicidal: a review of qualitative studies Aim., To systematically review qualitative research which addresses how people live with suicidality or recover a desire to live. Background., Suicide is a pressing social and public health problem. Much emphasis in suicide research has been on the epidemiology of suicide and the identification of risk and protective factors. Relatively little emphasis has been given to the subjective experiences of suicidal people, but this is necessary to inform the care and help provided to individuals. Data sources., Electronic searches of CINAHL Plus with full text, Medline and PsychArticles (included PsycINFO, Social Services Abstracts and Sociological abstracts) were undertaken for the period from 1997 to April 2007. In addition, the following journals were hand searched (1997,2007): ,Mortality', ,Death Studies', ,Archives of Suicide Research' and ,Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention'. Method., A systematic review of the literature and thematic content analysis of findings. The findings were extracted from selected papers and synthesized by way of content analysis in narrative and tabular form. Findings., Twelve studies were identified. Analysis revealed a number of interconnected themes: the experience of suffering, struggle, connection, turning points and coping. Conclusions., Living with or overcoming suicidality involves various struggles, often existential in nature. Suicide may be seen as both a failure and a means of coping. People may turn away from suicide quite abruptly through experiencing, gaining or regaining the right kind of connection with others. Nurses working with suicidal individuals should aspire to be identified as people who can turn people's lives around. [source] Healthcare for Older Persons, A Country Profile: NigeriaJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 7 2002Bola O. Akanji PhD The Nigerian population is undergoing demographic transition, with an increasing population of older people. Nuclear and extended family members traditionally care for older persons at home. We have observed changes in home living conditions due to reduced family size, and urban migration for economic reasons are likely to affect the care of older people. The inadequately funded healthcare system has placed little emphasis on the care of older people because there are more-pressing health problems and funding for older people is limited. This paper advocates improved attention to the health needs of older people through improved budgetary allocation, revision of the training curriculum of all cadres of health staff to include geriatrics, and utilization of primary healthcare facilities. [source] Contraception: a new practical learning packageMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 8 2000Suzanne Abraham Background A new self-directed learning package was developed to assist medical students learn the counselling and practical skills to enable them to communicate with men and women about contraception and related matters. Objectives This paper describes the package and the way it was facilitated, the students' ratings of the package and their feedback about the session on the first time it was presented at four teaching hospitals. Results The students rated the contraception package as average. The reasons given were: no introduction to the contraception session, lack of a trained person to conduct and facilitate the contraception learning session, poor organization at one of the hospitals and too little emphasis on self-assessment. The assumption that the students had a basic hormonal knowledge prior to the contraception sessions was incorrect. Discussion The results suggest the contraception learning package needs a person with contraceptive knowledge, patient,doctor skills and experience with self-directed learning to be present throughout the 3-hour session and for tools to be available that emphasize self-assessment during the session. Outcome The modifications to be made to the learning package include pairing male and female students, a reduction in duration of the learning stations, an additional learning station relating to hormonal contraception, and inclusion of pregnancy and ovulation testing. These modifications were suggested by the participating students. [source] The importance of knowing the patient in weaning from mechanical ventilationNURSING IN CRITICAL CARE, Issue 6 2009Cheryl Crocker ABSTRACT Aim: The aim of the research was to understand how nurses used technology to wean patients from mechanical ventilation. Background: The literature concerned with the development of critical care centres on the role of technology with little emphasis on the nursing contribution. Design: An ethnographic approach was used to understand how nurses used technology to wean patients from mechanical ventilation. Methods: Data were gathered by participant observation and interviewing over a 6-month period. In total, 250 h of field notes were recorded. Results: Data were analysed by the content analysis method. Knowing the patient was a central theme identified. Three sub-themes were identified: ways of knowing, continuity of care and the role of the patient in the weaning trajectory. Conclusion: ,Knowing the patient' was implied during the interviews as essential to the delivery of patient-centred care. There were two main factors that needed to be present in order for nurses to know their patients: continuity of care and expertise. ,Ways of knowing' was reliant on gaining information about the patient. The role of the patient was a passive recipient of treatment. Implications for practice: Knowing the patient has been defined as a characteristic of expert nursing. To be truly patient-centred nursing needs to address the barriers that prevent nurses from getting to ,know' their patients. [source] Can the cause of aggregation be inferred from species distributions?OIKOS, Issue 1 2007Astrid J.A. Van Teeffelen Species distributions often show an aggregated pattern, which can be due to a number of endo- and exogenous factors. While autologistic models have been used for modelling such data with statistical rigour, little emphasis has been put on disentangling potential causes of aggregation. In this paper we ask whether it is possible to infer sources of aggregation in species distributions from a single set of occurrence data by comparing the performance of various autologistic models. We create simulated data sets, which show similar occupancy patterns, but differ in the process that causes the aggregation. We model the distribution of these data with various autologistic models, and show how the relative performance of the models is sensitive to the factor causing aggregation in the data. This information can be used when modelling real species data, where causes of aggregation are typically unknown. To illustrate, we use our approach to assess the potential causes of aggregation in data of seven bird species with contrasting statistical patterns. Our findings have important implications for conservation, as understanding the mechanisms that drive population fluctuations in space and time is critical for the development of effective management actions for long-term conservation. [source] The Leader Observation Tool: a process skills treatment fidelity measure for the Incredible Years parenting programmeCHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2008C. Eames Abstract Background Despite recognition of the need to deliver evidence-based programmes in the field of mental health, there is little emphasis on implementing such programmes with fidelity. Attempts by programme developers to ensure adherence to their programmes include the development of training, manuals and content scales, but these alone may be insufficient to ensure fidelity in replication. Observational measures lend themselves as a potentially useful assessment of intervention outcomes, providing accurate and objective accounts of the intervention process. Aim To develop a reliable and valid observational treatment fidelity tool of process skills required to deliver the Incredible Years (IY) BASIC parenting programme effectively. Methods An objective observational fidelity measure was developed to assess adherence to the IY BASIC parenting programme protocol. Observations were conducted on 12 IY BASIC parenting programme groups, attended by parents of pre-school children displaying signs of early onset conduct disorder. Results The Leader Observation Tool (LOT) achieved high internal reliability and good code,recode and inter-rater reliability. Evidence of concurrent validity was also obtained. Conclusions Having demonstrated that the LOT is a reliable and valid measure of implementation fidelity, further research is necessary to examine the relationship between LOT scores and intervention outcome. [source] | ||||||||||