Exploring deliberate practice in medicine: how do physicians learn in the workplace?

PubMed

van de Wiel, Margje W J; Van den Bossche, Piet; Janssen, Sandra; Jossberger, Helen

2011-03-01

Medical professionals need to keep on learning as part of their everyday work to deliver high-quality health care. Although the importance of physicians' learning is widely recognized, few studies have investigated how they learn in the workplace. Based on insights from deliberate practice research, this study examined the activities physicians engage in during their work that might further their professional development. As deliberate practice requires a focused effort to improve performance, the study also examined the goals underlying this behaviour. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 internal medicine physicians: 19 residents, 18 internists working at a university hospital, and 13 working at a non-university hospital. The results showed that learning in medical practice was very much embedded in clinical work. Most relevant learning activities were directly related to patient care rather than motivated by competence improvement goals. Advice and feedback were sought when necessary to provide this care. Performance standards were tied to patients' conditions. The patients encountered and the discussions with colleagues about patients were valued most for professional development, while teaching and updating activities were also valued in this respect. In conclusion, physicians' learning is largely guided by practical experience rather than deliberately sought. When professionals interact in diagnosing and treating patients to achieve high-quality care, their experiences contribute to expertise development. However, much could be gained from managing learning opportunities more explicitly. We offer suggestions for increasing the focus on learning in medical practice and further research.

Proceedings from State and District Support to Low-Performing Schools. Selected Presentations from a Working Conference of the High Poverty Schools Initiative (Baltimore, Maryland, May 20-23, 2001).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, DC.

This paper presents proceedings from a 2001 working conference of the State and District Support to Low-Performing Schools initiative, which presented research-based strategies and exemplary practice to improve low-performing schools. The presentations focused on state and district systems of support to low-performing schools; use of data to…

Production practices affecting worker task demands in concrete operations: A case study.

PubMed

Memarian, Babak; Mitropoulos, Panagiotis

2015-01-01

Construction work involves significant physical, mental, and temporal task demands. Excessive task demands can have negative consequences for safety, errors and production. This exploratory study investigates the magnitude and sources of task demands on a concrete operation, and examines the effect of the production practices on the workers' task demands. The NASA Task Load Index was used to measure the perceived task demands of two work crews. The operation involved the construction of a cast-in-place concrete building under high schedule pressures. Interviews with each crew member were used to identify the main sources of the perceived demands. Extensive field observations and interviews with the supervisors and crews identified the production practices. The workers perceived different level of task demands depending on their role. The production practices influenced the task demands in two ways: (1) practices related to work organization, task design, resource management, and crew management mitigated the task demands; and (2) other practices related to work planning and crew management increased the crew's ability to cope with and adapt to high task demands. The findings identify production practices that regulate the workers' task demands. The effect of task demands on performance is mitigated by the ability to cope with high demands.

A Comparison of Low and High Structure Practice for Learning Interactional Analysis Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Matthew James

2011-01-01

Innovative training approaches in work domains such as professional athletics, aviation, and the military have shown that specific types of practice can reliably lead to higher levels of performance for the average professional. This study describes the development of an initial effort toward creating a similar practice method for psychotherapy…

Practical internal combustion engine laser spark plug development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, Michael J.; Myers, John D.; Guo, Baoping; Yang, Chengxin; Hardy, Christopher R.

2007-09-01

Fundamental studies on laser ignition have been performed by the US Department of Energy under ARES (Advanced Reciprocating Engines Systems) and by the California Energy Commission under ARICE (Advanced Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine). These and other works have reported considerable increases in fuel efficiencies along with substantial reductions in green-house gas emissions when employing laser spark ignition. Practical commercial applications of this technology require low cost high peak power lasers. The lasers must be small, rugged and able to provide stable laser beam output operation under adverse mechanical and environmental conditions. New DPSS (Diode Pumped Solid State) lasers appear to meet these requirements. In this work we provide an evaluation of HESP (High Efficiency Side Pumped) DPSS laser design and performance with regard to its application as a practical laser spark plug for use in internal combustion engines.

Do perceived high performance work systems influence the relationship between emotional labour, burnout and intention to leave? A study of Australian nurses.

PubMed

Bartram, Timothy; Casimir, Gian; Djurkovic, Nick; Leggat, Sandra G; Stanton, Pauline

2012-07-01

The purpose of this article was to explore the relationships between perceived high performance work systems, emotional labour, burnout and intention to leave among nurses in Australia. Previous studies show that emotional labour and burnout are associated with an increase in intention to leave of nurses. There is evidence that high performance work systems are in association with a decrease in turnover. There are no previous studies that examine the relationship between high performance work systems and emotional labour. A cross-sectional, correlational survey. The study was conducted in Australia in 2008 with 183 nurses. Three hypotheses were tested with validated measures of emotional labour, burnout, intention to leave, and perceived high performance work systems. Principal component analysis was used to examine the structure of the measures. The mediation hypothesis was tested using Baron and Kenny's procedure and the moderation hypothesis was tested using hierarchical regression and the product-term. Emotional labour is positively associated with both burnout and intention to leave. Burnout mediates the relationship between emotional labour and intention to leave. Perceived high performance work systems negatively moderates the relationship between emotional labour and burnout. Perceived high performance work systems not only reduces the strength of the negative effect of emotional labour on burnout but also has a unique negative effect on intention to leave. Ensuring effective human resource management practice through the implementation of high performance work systems may reduce the burnout associated with emotional labour. This may assist healthcare organizations to reduce nurse turnover. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Designing and Assessing Productive Group Work in Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaca, Javier; Lapp, Diane; Fisher, Douglas

2011-01-01

A history teacher examines what is successful and not successful in group work in his high school classroom and gives concrete suggestions for improving group practice. Topics discussed include preparing students for group work, supporting collaboration, inviting critical analysis, and assessing both group and individual performance. (Contains 2…

Leveraging business intelligence to make better decisions: Part I.

PubMed

Reimers, Mona

2014-01-01

Data is the new currency. Business intelligence tools will provide better performing practices with a competitive intelligence advantage that will separate the high performers from the rest of the pack. Given the investments of time and money into our data systems, practice leaders must work to take every advantage and look at the datasets as a potential goldmine of business intelligence decision tools. A fresh look at decision tools created from practice data will create efficiencies and improve effectiveness for end-users and managers.

The Contradictions of High-Stakes Accountability "Success": A Case Study of Focused Leadership and Performance Agency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, William R.

2008-01-01

This article seeks to advance the discussion of the availability of contemporary notions of school leadership for school leaders working within high-stakes accountability reform environment that produce discourses of urgency and legitimize practices of performance that implicitly favour centralized, neo-Tayloristic managerial approaches. Drawing…

The Association between Meditation Practice and Job Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Shiba, Koichiro; Nishimoto, Masahiro; Sugimoto, Minami; Ishikawa, Yoshiki

2015-01-01

Many previous studies have shown that meditation practice has a positive impact on cognitive and non-cognitive functioning, which are related to job performance. Thus, the aims of this study were to (1) estimate the prevalence of meditation practice, (2) identify the characteristics of individuals who practice meditation, and (3) examine the association between meditation practice and job performance. Two population-based, cross-sectional surveys were conducted. In study 1, we examined the prevalence of meditation practice and the characteristics of the persons practicing meditation; in Study 2, we examined the association between meditation practice and job performance. The outcome variables included work engagement, subjective job performance, and job satisfaction. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale was used to assess work engagement, the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) was used to measure subjective job performance, and a scale developed by the Japanese government was used to assess job satisfaction. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used in Study 2. Demographic characteristics and behavioral risk factors were included as covariates in the analyses. The results of Study 1 indicated that 3.9% of persons surveyed (n = 30,665) practiced meditation; these individuals were younger and had a higher education, higher household income, higher stress level, and lower body mass index than those who did not practice meditation. The results of Study 2 (n = 1,470) indicated that meditation practice was significantly predictive of work engagement (β = 0.112, p < .001), subjective job performance (β = 0.116, p < .001), and job satisfaction (β = 0.079, p = .002), even after adjusting for covariates (β = 0.083, p < .001; β = 0.104, p < .001; β = 0.060, p = .015, respectively). The results indicate that meditation practice may positively influence job performance, including job satisfaction, subjective job performance, and work engagement.

What do consistently high-performing in vitro fertilization programs in the U.S. do?

PubMed

Van Voorhis, Bradley J; Thomas, Mika; Surrey, Eric S; Sparks, Amy

2010-09-01

To identify common clinical and laboratory practices among consistently high-performing IVF programs. Questionnaire study of selected IVF programs. Academic and private practice IVF programs. Ten of 12 programs identified as having consistently high singleton delivery rates per cycle. None. Common clinical practices. Common clinical practices identified among these programs included testing all patients for ovarian reserve, endometrial defects, and hydrosalpinges; use of a mixed LH and FSH stimulation protocol with step-down dosing; and use of ultrasound guidance for ET. Common laboratory practices included selective use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection, group culture of embryos in microdrops, and use of blastocyst ET in selected cases. Common laboratory features included good air quality using filtration and heated stages for oocyte and embryo work. Although a number of factors were identified in this best-practices questionnaire, programs often differed in many aspects of care. However, high-performing programs cited experience of physicians, embryologists, and staff members as well as consistency of approach, attention to detail, and good communication as being vital to excellent outcomes. Copyright (c) 2010 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiation safety audit of a high volume Nuclear Medicine Department.

PubMed

Jha, Ashish Kumar; Singh, Abhijith Mohan; Shetye, Bhakti; Shah, Sneha; Agrawal, Archi; Purandare, Nilendu Chandrakant; Monteiro, Priya; Rangarajan, Venkatesh

2014-10-01

Professional radiation exposure cannot be avoided in nuclear medicine practices. It can only be minimized up to some extent by implementing good work practices. The aim of our study was to audit the professional radiation exposure and exposure rate of radiation worker working in and around Department of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, Tata Memorial Hospital. We calculated the total number of nuclear medicine and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) procedures performed in our department and the radiation exposure to the radiation professionals from year 2009 to 2012. We performed an average of 6478 PET/CT scans and 3856 nuclear medicine scans/year from January 2009 to December 2012. The average annual whole body radiation exposure to nuclear medicine physician, technologist and nursing staff are 1.74 mSv, 2.93 mSv and 4.03 mSv respectively. Efficient management and deployment of personnel is of utmost importance to optimize radiation exposure in a high volume nuclear medicine setup in order to work without anxiety of high radiation exposure.

Explaining high and low performers in complex intervention trials: a new model based on diffusion of innovations theory.

PubMed

McMullen, Heather; Griffiths, Chris; Leber, Werner; Greenhalgh, Trisha

2015-05-31

Complex intervention trials may require health care organisations to implement new service models. In a recent cluster randomised controlled trial, some participating organisations achieved high recruitment, whereas others found it difficult to assimilate the intervention and were low recruiters. We sought to explain this variation and develop a model to inform organisational participation in future complex intervention trials. The trial included 40 general practices in a London borough with high HIV prevalence. The intervention was offering a rapid HIV test as part of the New Patient Health Check. The primary outcome was mean CD4 cell count at diagnosis. The process evaluation consisted of several hundred hours of ethnographic observation, 21 semi-structured interviews and analysis of routine documents (e.g., patient leaflets, clinical protocols) and trial documents (e.g., inclusion criteria, recruitment statistics). Qualitative data were analysed thematically using--and, where necessary, extending--Greenhalgh et al.'s model of diffusion of innovations. Narrative synthesis was used to prepare case studies of four practices representing maximum variety in clinicians' interest in HIV (assessed by level of serological testing prior to the trial) and performance in the trial (high vs. low recruiters). High-recruiting practices were, in general though not invariably, also innovative practices. They were characterised by strong leadership, good managerial relations, readiness for change, a culture of staff training and available staff time ('slack resources'). Their front-line staff believed that patients might benefit from the rapid HIV test ('relative advantage'), were emotionally comfortable administering it ('compatibility'), skilled in performing it ('task issues') and made creative adaptations to embed the test in local working practices ('reinvention'). Early experience of a positive HIV test ('observability') appeared to reinforce staff commitment to recruiting more participants. Low-performing practices typically had less good managerial relations, significant resource constraints, staff discomfort with the test and no positive results early in the trial. An adaptation of the diffusion of innovations model was an effective analytical tool for retrospectively explaining high and low-performing practices in a complex intervention research trial. Whether the model will work prospectively to predict performance (and hence shape the design of future trials) is unknown. ISRCTN Registry number: ISRCTN63473710. Date assigned: 22 April 2010.

The 1996 High Schools That Work Assessment: Good News, Bad News and Hope. Research Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottoms, Gene

Implementation of the High Schools That Work (HSTW) key practices improved achievement for career-bound students in these four ways: (1) HSTW sites showed significant improvement in average reading and math scores; (2) the percentage of career- bound students meeting HSTW performance goals in 1994 and 1996 increased from 33% to 43% in reading and…

Toward a high-performance management system in health care, part 4: Using high-performance work practices to prevent central line-associated blood stream infections-a comparative case study.

PubMed

McAlearney, Ann Scheck; Hefner, Jennifer; Robbins, Julie; Garman, Andrew N

2016-01-01

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are among the most harmful health care-associated infections and a major patient safety concern. Nationally, CLABSI rates have been reduced through the implementation of evidence-based interventions; thus far, however, hospitals still differ substantially in their success implementing these practices. Prior research on high-performance work practices (HPWPs) suggests that these practices may explain some of the differences health systems experience in the success of their quality improvement efforts; however, these relationships have not yet been systematically investigated. In this study, we sought to explore the potential role HPWPs may play in explaining differences in the success of CLABSI reduction efforts involving otherwise similar organizations and approaches. To form our sample, we identified eight hospitals participating in the federally funded "On the CUSP: Stop BSI" initiative. This sample included four hospital "pairs" matched on organizational characteristics (e.g., state, size, teaching status) but having reported contrasting CLABSI reduction outcomes. We collected data through site visits as well as 194 key informant interviews, which were framed using an evidence-informed model of health care HPWPs. We found evidence that, at higher performing sites, HPWPs facilitated the adoption and consistent application of practices known to prevent CLABSIs; these HPWPs were virtually absent at lower performing sites. We present examples of management practices and illustrative quotes categorized into four HPWP subsystems: (a) staff engagement, (b) staff acquisition/development, (c) frontline empowerment, and (d) leadership alignment/development. We present the HPWP model as an organizing framework that can be applied to facilitate quality and patient safety efforts in health care. Managers and senior leaders can use these four HPWP subsystems to select, prioritize, and communicate about management practices critical to the success of their CLABSI prevention efforts.

Visual bottle inspection performance in highly paced belt-conveyor systems.

PubMed

Saito, M; Tanaka, T

1977-12-01

The relation between visual work performance and a few variables with immediate effects, i.e, lighting, work speed, work spell, etc. was studied. At the same time, some physiological and behavioral variations obtained in the study were also discussed. Through experiments and surveys, the optimum conditions were found for each variable. Work performance, however, is affected in such a subtle, interactive and dynamic manner that the working conditions are to be adjusted by taking into account not only these variables having immediate effects but also those indirectly relating ones meeting real needs in the practical working fields. Improvement of some physical working conditions, such as lighting, produces only a transitory increase of performance which is very unstable unless other determinants of performance are simultaneously managed in a proper manner. The same applied to arrangement of the optimum work speed and work spell for highly paced visual inspection, variations in rejection rate and in physiological functions interacting with individual and other determinants. In order to maximize understanding of the integrated and synthesized manner of determinants, it is emphasized that work performance must be pursued in a considerably comprehensive framework from a long-term perspective.

High performance frame synchronization for continuous variable quantum key distribution systems.

PubMed

Lin, Dakai; Huang, Peng; Huang, Duan; Wang, Chao; Peng, Jinye; Zeng, Guihua

2015-08-24

Considering a practical continuous variable quantum key distribution(CVQKD) system, synchronization is of significant importance as it is hardly possible to extract secret keys from unsynchronized strings. In this paper, we proposed a high performance frame synchronization method for CVQKD systems which is capable to operate under low signal-to-noise(SNR) ratios and is compatible with random phase shift induced by quantum channel. A practical implementation of this method with low complexity is presented and its performance is analysed. By adjusting the length of synchronization frame, this method can work well with large range of SNR values which paves the way for longer distance CVQKD.

Dental hygiene students' part-time jobs in dental practices in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Poorterman, J H G; Dikkes, B T; Brand, H S

2010-05-01

Many students have paid employment while studying. In the Netherlands, the Individual Health Care Professions Act (IHCP Act) allows dental hygiene students to work under certain conditions in a dental practice. The aim of the study was to determine how many dental hygiene students have part-time job employment in dental practice and which professional tasks they carry out. We also asked the dental hygiene students their opinion of the IHCP Act. All the enrolled dental hygiene students (n = 341) at a School of Health in the Netherlands received a questionnaire by email. The response was 52% (176 students). Of the responding students, 75% had paid employment in addition to their study. A proportion of the students (35%) worked in a dental practice. The median number of hours worked per week was eight. Study year, age and prior education were positively related to working part-time in dental practice. Activities frequently performed were giving oral hygiene instruction, fluoride applications, scaling and root planning, providing chair side assistance and giving local anaesthesia. Although the self-reported knowledge about the IHCP Act was high, almost half of the students expressed the need for more detailed legal information. Many dental hygiene students work in a dental practice, taking over a number of tasks usually performed by the dentist. More information in the dental hygiene curriculum about the requirements of the IHCP Act seems desirable.

In Search of Joy in Practice: A Report of 23 High-Functioning Primary Care Practices

PubMed Central

Sinsky, Christine A.; Willard-Grace, Rachel; Schutzbank, Andrew M.; Sinsky, Thomas A.; Margolius, David; Bodenheimer, Thomas

2013-01-01

We highlight primary care innovations gathered from high-functioning primary care practices, innovations we believe can facilitate joy in practice and mitigate physician burnout. To do so, we made site visits to 23 high-performing primary care practices and focused on how these practices distribute functions among the team, use technology to their advantage, improve outcomes with data, and make the job of primary care feasible and enjoyable as a life’s vocation. Innovations identified include (1) proactive planned care, with previsit planning and previsit laboratory tests; (2) sharing clinical care among a team, with expanded rooming protocols, standing orders, and panel management; (3) sharing clerical tasks with collaborative documentation (scribing), nonphysician order entry, and streamlined prescription management; (4) improving communication by verbal messaging and in-box management; and (5) improving team functioning through co-location, team meetings, and work flow mapping. Our observations suggest that a shift from a physician-centric model of work distribution and responsibility to a shared-care model, with a higher level of clinical support staff per physician and frequent forums for communication, can result in high-functioning teams, improved professional satisfaction, and greater joy in practice. PMID:23690328

Business plans--tips from the toolkit 6.

PubMed

Steer, Neville

2010-07-01

General practice is a business. Most practices can stay afloat by having appointments, billing patients, managing the administration processes and working long hours. What distinguishes the high performance organisation from the average organisation is a business plan. This article examines how to create a simple business plan that can be applied to the general practice setting and is drawn from material contained in The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' 'General practice management toolkit'.

Broadly Trained but Narrowly Used? Factors That Predict the Performance of Environmental versus Individual Tasks by School Social Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dupper, David R.; Rocha, Cynthia; Jackson, Rebecca F.; Lodato, Gayle A.

2014-01-01

National and state surveys over the past several decades have concluded that school social workers, despite an awareness of and training in macro level practice strategies, are highly individualistic in their practice focus. Although clinical skills are necessary, they are insufficient for effective school social work practice in the 21st century.…

The Association between Meditation Practice and Job Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Sugimoto, Minami; Ishikawa, Yoshiki

2015-01-01

Many previous studies have shown that meditation practice has a positive impact on cognitive and non-cognitive functioning, which are related to job performance. Thus, the aims of this study were to (1) estimate the prevalence of meditation practice, (2) identify the characteristics of individuals who practice meditation, and (3) examine the association between meditation practice and job performance. Two population-based, cross-sectional surveys were conducted. In study 1, we examined the prevalence of meditation practice and the characteristics of the persons practicing meditation; in Study 2, we examined the association between meditation practice and job performance. The outcome variables included work engagement, subjective job performance, and job satisfaction. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale was used to assess work engagement, the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) was used to measure subjective job performance, and a scale developed by the Japanese government was used to assess job satisfaction. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used in Study 2. Demographic characteristics and behavioral risk factors were included as covariates in the analyses. The results of Study 1 indicated that 3.9% of persons surveyed (n = 30,665) practiced meditation; these individuals were younger and had a higher education, higher household income, higher stress level, and lower body mass index than those who did not practice meditation. The results of Study 2 (n = 1,470) indicated that meditation practice was significantly predictive of work engagement (β = 0.112, p < .001), subjective job performance (β = 0.116, p < .001), and job satisfaction (β = 0.079, p = .002), even after adjusting for covariates (β = 0.083, p < .001; β = 0.104, p < .001; β = 0.060, p = .015, respectively). The results indicate that meditation practice may positively influence job performance, including job satisfaction, subjective job performance, and work engagement. PMID:26024382

Relationship of nurses' intrapersonal characteristics with work performance and caring behaviors: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Geyer, Nelouise-Marié; Coetzee, Siedine K; Ellis, Suria M; Uys, Leana R

2018-02-28

This study aimed to describe intrapersonal characteristics (professional values, personality, empathy, and job involvement), work performance as perceived by nurses, and caring behaviors as perceived by patients, and to examine the relationships among these variables. A cross-sectional design was employed. A sample was recruited of 218 nurses and 116 patients in four private hospitals and four public hospitals. Data were collected using self-report measures. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, hierarchical linear modelling, correlations, and structural equation modeling. Nurses perceived their work performance to be of high quality. Among the intrapersonal characteristics, nurses had high scores for professional values, and moderately high scores for personality, empathy and job involvement. Patients perceived nurses' caring behaviors as moderately high. Professional values of nurses were the only selected intrapersonal characteristic with a statistically significant positive relationship, of practical importance, with work performance as perceived by nurses and with caring behaviors as perceived by patients at ward level. Managers can enhance nurses' work performance and caring behaviors through provision of in-service training that focuses on development of professional values. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Do management practices support or constrain safe driving behaviour? A multi-level investigation in a sample of occupational drivers.

PubMed

Newnam, Sharon; Warmerdam, Amanda; Sheppard, Dianne; Griffin, Mark; Stevenson, Mark

2017-05-01

It has been estimated that one-third of all work-related deaths occur while driving for work-related purposes. Despite this, many organisations are unaware of the practices, beyond those that identify and control the impact of unforeseen events (i.e., risk management), that predispose drivers to risk. This study addresses the issue by identifying the management practices operationalised as, High Performance Workplace Systems (HPWS) that influence safe driver behaviour. The study also explores the value given to safety by senior level management as a moderator of the relationship between HPWS practices and driver behaviour. Each factor was tested within a two level hierarchical model consisting of 911 drivers, nested within 161 supervisors and 83 organisations. The findings highight that under conditions of high investment in job and work design, communication and selection practices, drivers reported poorer driving behaviour. An interaction effect also demonstrated that under conditions of high investment in remuneration, drivers reported safer behaviour, but only when they perceived that managers valued and prioritised safety. The findings challenge current thinking in the management of workplace road safety. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Air Quality Benefits of Nighttime Construction in Texas Non-Attainment Counties--Technical Report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-12-15

The practice of performing some work zone activities at night has existed in the United States since at least the 1960s. Night work is most commonly initiated where it is impractical to close traffic lanes on certain high-volume roadways during norma...

Case Studies of Two High-Poverty High-Performing Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gehrke, Lori R.

2010-01-01

The existing literature on learning organizations emphasize that leadership and strong organizational culture are central to their successful development. Whereas schools continue to face government control, accountability, and financial restraints, they are also working diligently to engage in ongoing school improvement practices to provide…

Long-term memory-based control of attention in multi-step tasks requires working memory: evidence from domain-specific interference

PubMed Central

Foerster, Rebecca M.; Carbone, Elena; Schneider, Werner X.

2014-01-01

Evidence for long-term memory (LTM)-based control of attention has been found during the execution of highly practiced multi-step tasks. However, does LTM directly control for attention or are working memory (WM) processes involved? In the present study, this question was investigated with a dual-task paradigm. Participants executed either a highly practiced visuospatial sensorimotor task (speed stacking) or a verbal task (high-speed poem reciting), while maintaining visuospatial or verbal information in WM. Results revealed unidirectional and domain-specific interference. Neither speed stacking nor high-speed poem reciting was influenced by WM retention. Stacking disrupted the retention of visuospatial locations, but did not modify memory performance of verbal material (letters). Reciting reduced the retention of verbal material substantially whereas it affected the memory performance of visuospatial locations to a smaller degree. We suggest that the selection of task-relevant information from LTM for the execution of overlearned multi-step tasks recruits domain-specific WM. PMID:24847304

Radiation safety audit of a high volume Nuclear Medicine Department

PubMed Central

Jha, Ashish Kumar; Singh, Abhijith Mohan; Shetye, Bhakti; Shah, Sneha; Agrawal, Archi; Purandare, Nilendu Chandrakant; Monteiro, Priya; Rangarajan, Venkatesh

2014-01-01

Introduction: Professional radiation exposure cannot be avoided in nuclear medicine practices. It can only be minimized up to some extent by implementing good work practices. Aim and Objectives: The aim of our study was to audit the professional radiation exposure and exposure rate of radiation worker working in and around Department of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, Tata Memorial Hospital. Materials and Methods: We calculated the total number of nuclear medicine and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) procedures performed in our department and the radiation exposure to the radiation professionals from year 2009 to 2012. Results: We performed an average of 6478 PET/CT scans and 3856 nuclear medicine scans/year from January 2009 to December 2012. The average annual whole body radiation exposure to nuclear medicine physician, technologist and nursing staff are 1.74 mSv, 2.93 mSv and 4.03 mSv respectively. Conclusion: Efficient management and deployment of personnel is of utmost importance to optimize radiation exposure in a high volume nuclear medicine setup in order to work without anxiety of high radiation exposure. PMID:25400361

The Practical Relevance of Accountability Systems for School Improvement: A Descriptive Analysis of California Schools. CSE Report 713

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mintrop, Heinrich; Trujillo, Tina

2007-01-01

In search for the practical relevance of accountability systems for school improvement, we ask whether practitioners traveling between the worlds of system-designated high and low-performing schools would detect tangible differences by observing concrete behaviors, looking at student work, or inquiring about teacher, administrator, or student…

Company Training. A Key Strategy for Success. Workforce Brief #2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Terri

General research and anecdotal reports have confirmed that both technical and basic skills training offer many benefits to companies of all sizes. Company training can improve employee performance, firm productivity, product quality, and company profitability. Training supports "high-performance" work practices such as the following: total quality…

Nurse and resident satisfaction in magnet long-term care organizations: do high involvement approaches matter?

PubMed

Rondeau, Kent V; Wagar, Terry H

2006-04-01

This study examines the association of high involvement nursing work practices with employer-of-choice (magnet) status in a sample of Canadian nursing homes. In response to a severe shortage of registered nursing personnel, it is imperative for health care organizations to more effectively recruit and retain nursing personnel. Some long-term care organizations are developing employee-centred cultures that allow them to effectively enhance nurse and resident satisfaction. At the same time, many nursing homes have adopted progressive nursing workplace practices (high involvement work practices) that emphasize greater employee empowerment, participation and commitment. A mail survey was sent to the director of nursing in 300 nursing homes in western Canada. In total, 125 useable questionnaires were returned and constituted the data set for this study. Separate ordinary least squares regressions are performed with magnet strength, nurse satisfaction and resident satisfaction used as dependent variables. Nursing homes that demonstrate strong magnet (employer-of-choice) characteristics are more likely to have higher levels of nurse and patient satisfaction, even after controlling for a number of significant factors at the establishment level. Magnet nursing homes are more likely to have progressive participatory decision-making cultures and much more likely to spend considerable resources on job-related training for their nursing staff. The presence of high involvement work practices is not found to be a significant predictor in magnet strength, nurse or resident satisfaction. Merely adopting more high involvement nursing work practices may be insufficient for nursing homes, which desire to become 'employers-of-choice' in their marketplaces, especially if these practices are adopted without a concomitant investment in nurse training or an enhanced commitment to establishing a more democratic and participatory decision-making style involving all nursing staff.

Intelligent Performance Assessment of Students' Laboratory Work in a Virtual Electronic Laboratory Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achumba, I. E.; Azzi, D.; Dunn, V. L.; Chukwudebe, G. A.

2013-01-01

Laboratory work is critical in undergraduate engineering courses. It is used to integrate theory and practice. This demands that laboratory activities are synchronized with lectures to maximize their derivable learning outcomes, which are measurable through assessment. The typical high costs of the traditional engineering laboratory, which often…

COLLABORATE©, Part IV: Ramping Up Competency-Based Performance Management.

PubMed

Treiger, Teresa M; Fink-Samnick, Ellen

The purpose of this fourth part of the COLLABORATE© article series provides an expansion and application of previously presented concepts pertaining to the COLLABORATE paradigm of professional case management practice. The model is built upon a value-driven foundation that: PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTING(S):: Applicable to all health care sectors where case management is practiced. As an industry, health care continues to evolve. Terrain shifts and new influences continually surface to challenge professional case management practice. The need for top-performing and nimble professionals who are knowledgeable and proficient in the workplace continues to challenge human resource departments. In addition to care setting knowledge, professional case managers must continually invest in their practice competence toolbox to grow skills and abilities that transcend policies and processes. These individuals demonstrate agility in framing (and reframing) their professional practice to facilitate the best possible outcomes for their clients. Therefore, the continued emphasis on practice competence conveyed through the performance management cycle is an essential ingredient to performance management focused on customer service excellence and organizational improvement. Professional case management transcends professional disciplines, educational levels, and practice settings. Business objectives continue to drive work process and priorities in many practice settings. However, competencies that align with regulatory and accreditation requirements should be the critical driver for consistent, high-quality case management practice. Although there is inherent value in what various disciplines bring to the table, this advanced model unifies behind case management's unique, strengths-based identity instead of continuing to align within traditional divisions (e.g., discipline, work setting, population served). This model fosters case management's expanding career advancement opportunities.

Links among high-performance work environment, service quality, and customer satisfaction: an extension to the healthcare sector.

PubMed

Scotti, Dennis J; Harmon, Joel; Behson, Scott J

2007-01-01

Healthcare managers must deliver high-quality patient services that generate highly satisfied and loyal customers. In this article, we examine how a high-involvement approach to the work environment of healthcare employees may lead to exceptional service quality, satisfied patients, and ultimately to loyal customers. Specifically, we investigate the chain of events through which high-performance work systems (HPWS) and customer orientation influence employee and customer perceptions of service quality and patient satisfaction in a national sample of 113 Veterans Health Administration ambulatory care centers. We present a conceptual model for linking work environment to customer satisfaction and test this model using structural equations modeling. The results suggest that (1) HPWS is linked to employee perceptions of their ability to deliver high-quality customer service, both directly and through their perceptions of customer orientation; (2) employee perceptions of customer service are linked to customer perceptions of high-quality service; and (3) perceived service quality is linked with customer satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings, including suggestions of how healthcare managers can implement changes to their work environments, are discussed.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Practice: Interventions to Improve High School Completion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollands, Fiona; Bowden, A. Brooks; Belfield, Clive; Levin, Henry M.; Cheng, Henan; Shand, Robert; Pan, Yilin; Hanisch-Cerda, Barbara

2014-01-01

In this article, we perform cost-effectiveness analysis on interventions that improve the rate of high school completion. Using the What Works Clearinghouse to select effective interventions, we calculate cost-effectiveness ratios for five youth interventions. We document wide variation in cost-effectiveness ratios between programs and between…

Knowledge-in-Action between Rules and Experiences: Lessons from High Performance Sport for Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loquet, Monique

2011-01-01

Background: Most of the current work in physical education champions a culture of "off-beat" educational practices over more traditional and accepted methods. However, in this paper we claim that in order for a student to gain a quality physical education, practices and methods used for novices need to be closely linked to those used by…

Instructional practices and science performance of 10 top-performing regions in PISA 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, Kwok-chi; Lam, Terence Yuk-ping

2017-10-01

This study analysed 10 top-performing regions in PISA 2015 on their science performances and instructional practices. The regions include Singapore, Japan, Estonia, Taipei, Finland, Macao, Canada, Hong Kong, China and Korea. The science performances of the 10 regions and their teaching practices are described and compared. The construct of enquiry-based instruction as developed in PISA 2015 is revised into two new constructs using factor analysis. Then, the relationships of the teaching practices with science performance are analysed using hierarchical linear modelling. Adaptive instruction, teacher-directed instruction and interactive application are found positively associated with performance in all regions, while investigation and perceived feedback are all negative. The regions except Japan and Korea tend to have a high frequency of teacher-directed instruction facilitated by more or less authoritative class discussion in class. A fair amount of practical work is done, but not many of them are investigations. The cultural influences on teaching practices are discussed on how an amalgam of didactic and constructivist pedagogy is created by the Western progressive educational philosophy meeting the Confucian culture. The reasons for investigation's negative association with performance are also explored.

How Do You Know What Works, Works for You? An Investigation into the Attitudes of Senior Leaders to Using Research Evidence to Inform Teaching and Learning in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graves, Susan; Moore, Alexis

2018-01-01

Improving performance is a high stakes undertaking for schools who are operating within highly prescriptive testing and inspection regimes and a dynamic policy environment requiring Senior Leaders to be innovative and well-informed regarding best practice both nationally and internationally. In this context there can be a tendency to fall back on…

The effects of working memory training on functional brain network efficiency.

PubMed

Langer, Nicolas; von Bastian, Claudia C; Wirz, Helen; Oberauer, Klaus; Jäncke, Lutz

2013-10-01

The human brain is a highly interconnected network. Recent studies have shown that the functional and anatomical features of this network are organized in an efficient small-world manner that confers high efficiency of information processing at relatively low connection cost. However, it has been unclear how the architecture of functional brain networks is related to performance in working memory (WM) tasks and if these networks can be modified by WM training. Therefore, we conducted a double-blind training study enrolling 66 young adults. Half of the subjects practiced three WM tasks and were compared to an active control group practicing three tasks with low WM demand. High-density resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded before and after training to analyze graph-theoretical functional network characteristics at an intracortical level. WM performance was uniquely correlated with power in the theta frequency, and theta power was increased by WM training. Moreover, the better a person's WM performance, the more their network exhibited small-world topology. WM training shifted network characteristics in the direction of high performers, showing increased small-worldness within a distributed fronto-parietal network. Taken together, this is the first longitudinal study that provides evidence for the plasticity of the functional brain network underlying WM. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PISA, Policy and Persuasion: Translating Complex Conditions into Education "Best Practice"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Auld, Euan; Morris, Paul

2016-01-01

Education reform is increasingly portrayed as a means to improve a nation's global competitiveness as measured by its performance in international league tables of pupil achievement. This has created a demand for comparative research which identifies "what works" in high-performing school systems. A diverse array of consultancies, thinks…

High workload and job stress are associated with lower practice performance in general practice: an observational study in 239 general practices in the Netherlands

PubMed Central

van den Hombergh, Pieter; Künzi, Beat; Elwyn, Glyn; van Doremalen, Jan; Akkermans, Reinier; Grol, Richard; Wensing, Michel

2009-01-01

Background The impact of high physician workload and job stress on quality and outcomes of healthcare delivery is not clear. Our study explored whether high workload and job stress were associated with lower performance in general practices in the Netherlands. Methods Secondary analysis of data from 239 general practices, collected in practice visits between 2003 to 2006 in the Netherlands using a comprehensive set of measures of practice management. Data were collected by a practice visitor, a trained non-physician observer using patients questionnaires, doctors and staff. For this study we selected five measures of practice performance as outcomes and six measures of GP workload and job stress as predictors. A total of 79 indicators were used out of the 303 available indicators. Random coefficient regression models were applied to examine associations. Results and discussion Workload and job stress are associated with practice performance. Workload: Working more hours as a GP was associated with more positive patient experiences of accessibility and availability (b = 0.16). After list size adjustment, practices with more GP-time per patient scored higher on GP care (b = 0.45). When GPs provided more than 20 hours per week per 1000 patients, patients scored over 80% on the Europep questionnaire for quality of GP care. Job stress: High GP job stress was associated with lower accessibility and availability (b = 0.21) and insufficient practice management (b = 0.25). Higher GP commitment and more satisfaction with the job was associated with more prevention and disease management (b = 0.35). Conclusion Providing more time in the practice, and more time per patient and experiencing less job stress are all associated with perceptions by patients of better care and better practice performance. Workload and job stress should be assessed by using list size adjusted data in order to realise better quality of care. Organisational development using this kind of data feedback could benefit both patients and GP. PMID:19604386

Deliberate Performance: Accelerating Expertise in Natural Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fadde, Peter J.; Klein, Gary A.

2010-01-01

Deliberate practice--meaning drill-like practice under the direction of a coach--is key to developing expertise in sports and music. But working professionals and businesspeople typically have no time for practice. We propose deliberate performance as a type of practice that professionals and businesspeople can pursue while they work as a way to…

Driving R&D for the Next Generation Work Truck; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Melendez, M.

2015-03-04

Improvements in medium- and heavy-duty work truck energy efficiency can dramatically reduce the use of petroleum-based fuels and the emissions of greenhouse gases. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is working with industry partners to develop fuel-saving, high-performance vehicle technologies, while examining fleet operational practices that can simulateneously improve fuel economy, decrease emissions, and support bottom-line goals.

Evaluation of job satisfaction and working atmosphere of dental nurses in Germany.

PubMed

Goetz, Katja; Hasse, Philipp; Campbell, Stephen M; Berger, Sarah; Dörfer, Christof E; Hahn, Karolin; Szecsenyi, Joachim

2016-02-01

The purpose of the study was to assess the level of job satisfaction of dental nurses in ambulatory care and to explore the impact of aspects of working atmosphere on and their association with job satisfaction. This cross-sectional study was based on a job satisfaction survey. Data were collected from 612 dental nurses working in 106 dental care practices. Job satisfaction was measured with the 10-item Warr-Cook-Wall job satisfaction scale. Working atmosphere was measured with five items. Linear regression analyses were performed in which each item of the job satisfaction scale was handled as dependent variables. A stepwise linear regression analysis was performed with overall job satisfaction and the five items of working atmosphere, job satisfaction, and individual characteristics. The response rate was 88.3%. Dental nurses were satisfied with 'colleagues' and least satisfied with 'income.' Different aspects of job satisfaction were mostly associated with the following working atmosphere issues: 'responsibilities within the practice team are clear,' 'suggestions for improvement are taken seriously,' 'working atmosphere in the practice team is good,' and 'made easier to admit own mistakes.' Within the stepwise linear regression analysis, the aspect 'physical working condition' (β = 0.304) showed the highest association with overall job satisfaction. The total explained variance of the 14 associated variables was 0.722 with overall job satisfaction. Working atmosphere within this discrete sample of dental care practice seemed to be an important influence on reported working condition and job satisfaction for dental nurses. Because of the high association of job satisfaction with physical working condition, the importance of paying more attention to an ergonomic working position for dental nurses to ensure optimal quality of care is highlighted. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using a High-Performance Planning Model to Increase Levels of Functional Effectiveness Within Professional Development.

PubMed

Winter, Peggi

2016-01-01

Nursing professional practice models continue to shape how we practice nursing by putting families and members at the heart of everything we do. Faced with enormous challenges around healthcare reform, models create frameworks for practice by unifying, uniting, and guiding our nurses. The Kaiser Permanente Practice model was developed to ensure consistency for nursing practice across the continuum. Four key pillars support this practice model and the work of nursing: quality and safety, leadership, professional development, and research/evidence-based practice. These four pillars form the foundation that makes transformational practice possible and aligns nursing with Kaiser Permanente's mission. The purpose of this article is to discuss the pillar of professional development and the components of the Nursing Professional Development: Scope and Standards of Practice model (American Nurses Association & National Nursing Staff Development Organization, 2010) and place them in a five-level development framework. This process allowed us to identify the current organizational level of practice, prioritize each nursing professional development component, and design an operational strategy to move nursing professional development toward a level of high performance. This process is suggested for nursing professional development specialists.

Mental workload and motor performance dynamics during practice of reaching movements under various levels of task difficulty.

PubMed

Shuggi, Isabelle M; Oh, Hyuk; Shewokis, Patricia A; Gentili, Rodolphe J

2017-09-30

The assessment of mental workload can inform attentional resource allocation during task performance that is essential for understanding the underlying principles of human cognitive-motor behavior. While many studies have focused on mental workload in relation to human performance, a modest body of work has examined it in a motor practice/learning context without considering individual variability. Thus, this work aimed to examine mental workload by employing the NASA TLX as well as the changes in motor performance resulting from the practice of a novel reaching task. Two groups of participants practiced a reaching task at a high and low nominal difficulty during which a group-level analysis assessed the mental workload, motor performance and motor improvement dynamics. A secondary cluster analysis was also conducted to identify specific individual patterns of cognitive-motor responses. Overall, both group- and cluster-level analyses revealed that: (i) all participants improved their performance throughout motor practice, and (ii) an increase in mental workload was associated with a reduction of the quality of motor performance along with a slower rate of motor improvement. The results are discussed in the context of the optimal challenge point framework and in particular it is proposed that under the experimental conditions employed here, functional task difficulty: (i) would possibly depend on an individuals' information processing capabilities, and (ii) could be indexed by the level of mental workload which, when excessively heightened can decrease the quality of performance and more generally result in delayed motor improvements. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cedar Project---Original goals and progress to date

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cybenko, G.; Kuck, D.; Padua, D.

1990-11-28

This work encompasses a broad attack on high speed parallel processing. Hardware, software, applications development, and performance evaluation and visualization as well as research topics are proposed. Our goal is to develop practical parallel processing for the 1990's.

Factors Associated With Full Implementation of Scope of Practice.

PubMed

Ganz, Freda DeKeyser; Toren, Orly; Fadlon, Yafit

2016-05-01

To describe whether nurses fully implement their scope of practice; nurses' perceptions of future practice implementation; and the association between scope of practice implementation with professional autonomy and self-efficacy. A descriptive correlational study was conducted using a convenience sample of 145 registered nurses with post-basic certification from two Israeli university hospitals, from May 2012 to September 2013. Five questionnaires were distributed: (a) Demographic and Work Characteristics, (b) Implementation of Scope of Practice, (c) Attitudes Towards Future Practice, (d) Practice Behavior Scale, and (e) Practice Self-Efficacy. Descriptive statistics for all demographic and questionnaire data were analyzed. Two regression models were developed, where current and future implementations were the criterion variables and demographic and work characteristics, professional autonomy, and self-efficacy were the predictors. High levels of professional autonomy, self-efficacy, and attitudes towards future practice were found in contrast to low or moderate levels of current implementation of the full extent of scope of practice. Primary reasons associated with low implementation were lack of relevance to practice and permission to perform the practice. Significant associations were found between professional autonomy, self-efficacy, and attitudes towards future practice, but not with current implementation. Nurses wanted to practice to the full extent of their scope of practice and felt able to do so but were hindered by administrative and not personal barriers. Even though staff nurses with post-basic certification had high levels of professional autonomy and self-efficacy, many were not implementing the full extent of their scope of practice. Similar to findings from around the world, external factors, such as administrative and policy barriers, were found to thwart the full implementation of nurses' full scope of practice. Therefore, practicing nurses should be aware of these barriers and work towards reducing them. © 2016 Sigma Theta Tau International.

English Second Language, General, Special Education, and Speech/Language Personal Teacher Efficacy, English Language Arts Scientifically-Validated Intervention Practice, and Working Memory Development of English Language Learners in High and Low Performing Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Barbara J.

2013-01-01

The researcher investigated teacher factors contributing to English language arts (ELA) achievement of English language learners (ELLs) over 2 consecutive years, in high and low performing elementary schools with a Hispanic/Latino student population greater than or equal to 30 percent. These factors included personal teacher efficacy, teacher…

Identifying Maths Anxiety in Student Nurses and Focusing Remedial Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull, Heather

2009-01-01

Maths anxiety interferes with maths cognition and thereby increases the risk of maths errors. To initiate strategies for preventing anxiety-related errors progressing into nursing practice, this study explored the hypothesis that student nurses experience high maths anxiety in association with poor maths performance, and that high maths anxiety is…

Effects of high-involvement work systems on employee satisfaction and service costs in veterans healthcare.

PubMed

Harmon, Joel; Scotti, Dennis J; Behson, Scott; Farias, Gerard; Petzel, Robert; Neuman, Joel H; Keashly, Loraleigh

2003-01-01

Two strong imperatives for healthcare managers are reducing costs of service and attracting and retaining highly dedicated and competent patient care and support employees. Is there a trade-off or are there organizational practices that can further both objectives at the same time? High-involvement work systems (HIWS) represent a holistic work design that includes interrelated core features such as involvement, empowerment, development, trust, openness, teamwork, and performance-based rewards. HIWS have been linked to higher productivity, quality, employee and customer satisfaction, and market and financial performance in Fortune 1000 firms. Apparently, few prior studies have looked at the impacts of this holistic design within the healthcare sector. This research found that HIWS were associated with both greater employee satisfaction and lower patient service costs in 146 Veterans Health Administration centers, indicating that such practices pay off in both humanistic and financial terms. This suggests that managers implementing HIWS will incur real expenses that are likely to be more than offset by more satisfied employees, less organizational turmoil, and lower service delivery costs, which, in this study, amounted to over $1.2 million in savings for an average VHA facility.

Work Loads and Practice Patterns of General Surgeons in the United States, 1995–1997

PubMed Central

Ritchie, Wallace P.; Rhodes, Robert S.; Biester, Thomas W.

1999-01-01

Objective To characterize the work loads and practice patterns of general surgeons in the United States over a 3-year period (1995 to 1997). Methods The surgical operative logs of 2434 “generalist” general surgeons recertifying in surgery form the basis of this report. Selected demographics of the group are as follows: location: 50% Northeast and Southeast, 21% Midwest, 29% West and Southwest; practice type: 45% solo, 40% group, 9% academics; size of practice community: 46% highly urban, 19% rural. Parameters evaluated were the average number of procedures and their distribution by category related to geographic area, practice type, community size, and other parameters. Statistical analysis was accomplished using analysis of variance. Results No significant year-to-year differences were observed between cohorts. The average numbers of procedures per surgeon per year was 398, distributed as follows: abdomen 102, alimentary tract 63, breast 54, endoscopic 51, vascular 39, trauma 6, endocrine 4, and head and neck, 3. Eleven percent of the 398 procedures were performed laparoscopically. Major index cases were largely concentrated with small groups of surgeons representing 5% to 10% of the total. Significant differences were as follows: surgeons in the Northeast and West performed far fewer procedures than those elsewhere. Urban surgeons performed a few more tertiary-type procedures than did rural ones; however, rural surgeons performed many more total procedures, especially in endoscopy, laparoscopy, gynecology, genitourinary, and orthopedics. Academic surgeons performed substantially fewer total procedures as a group than did nonacademic ones and in all categories except liver, transplant, and pancreas. Male surgeons performed more procedures than did female surgeons, except those involving the breast. More procedures were done by surgeons in group practice than by those in solo practice. U.S. medical graduates and international medical graduates had similar work loads but with a different distribution. Conclusions This unique database will be useful in tracking trends over time. More importantly, it demonstrates that general surgery practice in the United States is extremely heterogeneous, a fact that must be acknowledged in any future workforce deliberations. PMID:10522723

Scholarly work products of the doctor of nursing practice: one approach to evaluating scholarship, rigour, impact and quality.

PubMed

Terhaar, Mary F; Sylvia, Martha

2016-01-01

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate, monitor and manage the quality of projects conducted and work produced as evidence of scholarship upon completion of Doctor of Nursing Practice education. The Doctor of Nursing Practice is a relatively new degree which prepares nurses for high impact careers in diverse practice settings around the globe. Considerable variation characterises curricula across schools preparing Doctors of Nursing Practice. Accreditation assures curricula are focused on attainment of the Doctor of Nursing Practice essentials, yet outcomes have not been reported to help educators engage in programme improvement. This work has implications for nursing globally because translating strong evidence into practice is key to improving outcomes in direct care, leadership, management and education. The Doctor of Nursing Practice student learns to accomplish translation through the conduct of projects. Evaluating the rigour and results of these projects is essential to improving the quality, safety and efficacy of translation, improvements in care and overall system performance. A descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the scholarly products of Doctor of Nursing Practice education in one programme across four graduating classes. A total of 80 projects, conducted across the USA and around the globe, are described using a modification of the Uncertainty, Pace, Complexity Model. The per cent of students considered to have produced high quality work in relation to target expectations as well as the per cent that conducted means testing increased over the four study years. Evaluation of scope, complexity and rigour of scholarly work products has driven improvements in the curriculum and informed the work of faculty and advisors. Methods, evaluation and outcomes conformed around a set of expectations for scholarship and rigour have resulted in measurable outcomes, and quality publications have increased over time. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Practical considerations for bicarbonate loading and sports performance.

PubMed

Burke, Louise M

2013-01-01

Consumption of sodium bicarbonate (300 mg/kg 1-2 h before exercise) can temporarily increase blood bicarbonate concentrations, enhancing extracellular buffering of hydrogen ions which accumulate and efflux from the working muscle. Such 'bicarbonate loading' provides an ergogenic strategy for sporting events involving high rates of anaerobic glycolysis which are otherwise limited by the body's capacity to manage the progressive increase in intracellular acidity. Studies show that bicarbonate loading strategies have a moderate positive effect on the performance of sports involving 1-7 min of sustained strenuous exercise, and may also be useful for prolonged sports involving intermittent or sustained periods of high-intensity work rates. This potential to enhance sports performance requires further investigation using appropriate research design, but may be limited by practical considerations such as gut discomfort or the logistics of the event. The effect of chronic use of bicarbonate supplementation prior to high-intensity workouts to promote better training performance and adaptations is worthy of further investigation. While this relatively simple dietary strategy has been studied and used by sports people for over 80 years, it is likely that there are still ways in which further benefits from bicarbonate supplementation can be developed and individualized for specific athletes or specific events. Copyright © 2013 Nestec Ltd., Vevey/S. Karger AG, Basel.

Management in general practice: the challenge of the new General Medical Services contract.

PubMed

Checkland, Kath

2004-10-01

Managers in general practice perform a variety of roles, from purely administrative to higher-level strategic planning. There has been little research investigating in detail how they perform these roles and the problems that they encounter. The new General Medical Services (GMS) contract contains new management challenges and it is not clear how practices will meet these. To improve understanding of the roles performed by managers in general practice and to consider the implications of this for the implementation of the new GMS contract. In-depth qualitative case studies covering the period before and immediately after the vote in favour of the new GMS contract. Three general practices in England, chosen using purposeful sampling. Semi-structured interviews with all clinical and managerial personnel in each practice, participant and non-participant observation, and examination of documents. Understanding about what constitutes the legitimate role of managers in general practice varies both within and between practices. Those practices in the study that employed a manager to work at a strategic level with input into the direction of the organisation demonstrated significant problems with this in practice. These included lack of clarity about what the legitimate role of the manager involved, problems relating to the authority of managers in the context of a partnership, and lack of time available to them to do higher-level work. In addition, general practitioners (GPs) were not confident about their ability to manage their managers' performance. The new GMS contract will place significant demands on practice management. These results suggest that it cannot be assumed that simply employing a manager with high-level skills will enable these demands to be met; there must first be clarity about what the manager should be doing, and attention must be directed at questions about the legitimacy enjoyed by such a manager, the limits of his or her authority, and the management of performance in this role.

Management in general practice: the challenge of the new General Medical Services contract

PubMed Central

Checkland, Kath

2004-01-01

Background: Managers in general practice perform a variety of roles, from purely administrative to higher-level strategic planning. There has been little research investigating in detail how they perform these roles and the problems that they encounter. The new General Medical Services (GMS) contract contains new management challenges and it is not clear how practices will meet these. Aim: To improve understanding of the roles performed by managers in general practice and to consider the implications of this for the implementation of the new GMS contract. Design of study: In-depth qualitative case studies covering the period before and immediately after the vote in favour of the new GMS contract. Setting: Three general practices in England, chosen using purposeful sampling. Method: Semi-structured interviews with all clinical and managerial personnel in each practice, participant and non-participant observation, and examination of documents. Results: Understanding about what constitutes the legitimate role of managers in general practice varies both within and between practices. Those practices in the study that employed a manager to work at a strategic level with input into the direction of the organisation demonstrated significant problems with this in practice. These included lack of clarity about what the legitimate role of the manager involved, problems relating to the authority of managers in the context of a partnership, and lack of time available to them to do higher-level work. In addition, general practitioners (GPs) were not confident about their ability to manage their managers' performance. Conclusion: The new GMS contract will place significant demands on practice management. These results suggest that it cannot be assumed that simply employing a manager with high-level skills will enable these demands to be met; there must first be clarity about what the manager should be doing, and attention must be directed at questions about the legitimacy enjoyed by such a manager, the limits of his or her authority, and the management of performance in this role. PMID:15469672

How To Form a Team: Five Keys to High Performance. For the Practicing Manager. An Ideas into Action Guidebook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kanaga, Kim; Kossler, Michael E.

This practical guidebook is designed for managers and leaders who have responsibility for the creation and success of teams. First, a team is described as a workgroup whose members are dependent upon one another for the completion of a given task, and whose members possess different but complementary skill sets. A team manages its own work within…

Perspectives and Practices of Successful Teachers in Diverse Rural South Texas High-Performing High-Needs Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pate, Roberta Simnacher

2012-01-01

Texas rural schools, educating more than half a million students annually, and rural schools across the nation have been under scrutiny for the inability to provide quality education through course offerings, facilities, and qualified teachers. To address this issue, the investigator utilized Spradley's (1980) seminal work, "Participant…

Solvent selection in ultrasonic-assisted emulsification microextraction: Comparison between high- and low-density solvents by means of novel type of extraction vessel.

PubMed

Nojavan, Saeed; Gorji, Tayebeh; Davarani, Saied Saeed Hosseiny; Morteza-Najarian, Amin

2014-08-01

There are numerous published reports about dispersive liquid phase microextraction of the wide range of substances, however, till now no broadly accepted systematic and purpose oriented selection of extraction solvent has been proposed. Most works deal with the optimization of available solvents without adequate pre-consideration of properness. In this study, it is tried to compare the performances of low- and high-density solvents at the same conditions by means of novel type of extraction vessel with head and bottom conical shape. Extraction efficiencies of seven basic pharmaceutical compounds using eighteen common organic solvents were studied in this work. It was much easier to work with high-density solvents and they mostly showed better performances. This work shows that although exact predicting the performance of the solvents is multifaceted case but the pre-consideration of initial selection of solvents with attention to the physiochemical properties of the desired analytes is feasible and promising. Finally, the practicality of the method for extraction from urine and plasma samples was investigated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance management excellence among the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Winners in Health Care.

PubMed

Duarte, Neville T; Goodson, Jane R; Arnold, Edwin W

2013-01-01

When carefully constructed, performance management systems can help health care organizations direct their efforts toward strategic goals, high performance, and continuous improvement needed to ensure high-quality patient care and cost control. The effective management of performance is an integral component in hospital and health care systems that are recognized for excellence by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in Health Care. Using the framework in the 2011-2012 Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence, this article identifies the best practices in performance management demonstrated by 15 Baldrige recipients. The results show that all of the recipients base their performance management systems on strategic goals, outcomes, or competencies that cascade from the organizational to the individual level. At the individual level, each hospital or health system reinforces the strategic direction with performance evaluations of leaders and employees, including the governing board, based on key outcomes and competencies. Leader evaluations consistently include feedback from internal and external stakeholders, creating a culture of information sharing and performance improvement. The hospitals or health care systems also align their reward systems to promote high performance by emphasizing merit and recognition for contributions. Best practices can provide a guide for leaders in other health systems in developing high-performance work systems.

Diminishing-cues retrieval practice: A memory-enhancing technique that works when regular testing doesn't.

PubMed

Fiechter, Joshua L; Benjamin, Aaron S

2017-08-28

Retrieval practice has been shown to be a highly effective tool for enhancing memory, a fact that has led to major changes to educational practice and technology. However, when initial learning is poor, initial retrieval practice is unlikely to be successful and long-term benefits of retrieval practice are compromised or nonexistent. Here, we investigate the benefit of a scaffolded retrieval technique called diminishing-cues retrieval practice (Finley, Benjamin, Hays, Bjork, & Kornell, Journal of Memory and Language, 64, 289-298, 2011). Under learning conditions that favored a strong testing effect, diminishing cues and standard retrieval practice both enhanced memory performance relative to restudy. Critically, under learning conditions where standard retrieval practice was not helpful, diminishing cues enhanced memory performance substantially. These experiments demonstrate that diminishing-cues retrieval practice can widen the range of conditions under which testing can benefit memory, and so can serve as a model for the broader application of testing-based techniques for enhancing learning.

First year physics practicals in distance education in South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cilliers, Johanna Albertha

Although the merits of practical work in physics is often questioned, it remains part of physics curricula word- wide. In distance education the incorporation of practical work into the curriculum is considerably complicated by the unique logistics of the setting and the high cost involved. The research reported in this thesis emanated from the need to improve the practical work module for first year physics at the University of South Africa, one of the largest distance education universities in the world. Specifically, the home-based component which, up to the commencement of the research had been entirely text-based, needed to be addressed. To this end it was necessary to identify a valid and attainable set of objectives and to determine the characteristics, abilities and needs of the students in the target group. A survey polling the viewpoints of South African physics lecturers and students about the objectives of practical work was conducted and an extensive student profile comprising a biographic, cognitive and affective component was compiled. Biographically, the target group is unique in the sense that it consists mainly of adult learners, a large percentage of whom study in a second language. The cognitive component of the profile covered aptitude, proficiency in English, mathematics and the integrated science process skills and level of cognitive development, all of which were investigated for possible influence on performance in practical work. On an affective level, students displayed a very positive attitude towards practical work, seated mainly in their need for concrete exploration of the theory. A practical work module structured around an experiential learning cycle adapted to the distance education environment was subsequently designed. The study material developed for the module comprised an interactive study guide on data processing and experimental procedure, a home experiment kit with accompanying workbook and a laboratory manual. From the pilot study forming part of the development process, it was found that students performed significantly better in an assignment based on home- experimentation than in any of the pen-and-paper assignments preceding it. Based on the results of the pilot study, a full home experiment kit was designed, evaluated, refined and implemented.

Working memory plasticity in old age: practice gain, transfer, and maintenance.

PubMed

Li, Shu-Chen; Schmiedek, Florian; Huxhold, Oliver; Röcke, Christina; Smith, Jacqui; Lindenberger, Ulman

2008-12-01

Adult age differences in cognitive plasticity have been studied less often in working memory than in episodic memory. The authors investigated the effects of extensive working memory practice on performance improvement, transfer, and short-term maintenance of practice gains and transfer effects. Adults age 20-30 years and 70-80 years practiced a spatial working memory task with 2 levels of processing demands across 45 days for about 15 min per day. In both age groups and relative to age-matched, no-contact control groups, we found (a) substantial performance gains on the practiced task, (b) near transfer to a more demanding spatial n-back task and to numerical n-back tasks, and (c) 3-month maintenance of practice gains and near transfer effects, with decrements relative to postpractice performance among older but not younger adults. No evidence was found for far transfer to complex span tasks. The authors discuss neuronal mechanisms underlying adult age differences and similarities in patterns of plasticity and conclude that the potential of deliberate working memory practice as a tool for improving cognition in old age merits further exploration. Copyright (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

A longitudinal study of ice hockey in boys aged 8--12.

PubMed

MacNab, R B

1979-03-01

A group of fifteen boys (experimental or competitive) were studied over a five year period of competitive ice hockey beginning at age 8. The subjects were members of a team which averaged 66 games per year, ranging from 50 at age 8 to 78 at age 12. In addition, they practiced twice a week with heavy stress on skating and individual puck handling skills. A second group of eleven boys (control or less competitive) were studied from age 10 to 12. The latter subjects played an average of 25 games per year and practiced once a week. All subjects were measured each year on skating and puck control skills, fitness-performance tests, grip strength, physical work capacity as well as height and weight. The results demonstrate learning curves for skating and puck control tests which, while typical in nature, show extremely high levels of achievement. Fitness-Performance, grip strength and physical work capacity levels of the competitive group are extremely high in comparison with data from other countries.

Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an (A)BSL-4 Laboratory: 2. General Practices.

PubMed

Mazur, Steven; Holbrook, Michael R; Burdette, Tracey; Joselyn, Nicole; Barr, Jason; Pusl, Daniela; Bollinger, Laura; Coe, Linda; Jahrling, Peter B; Lackemeyer, Matthew G; Wada, Jiro; Kuhn, Jens H; Janosko, Krisztina

2016-10-03

Work in a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) containment laboratory requires time and great attention to detail. The same work that is done in a BSL-2 laboratory with non-high-consequence pathogens will take significantly longer in a BSL-4 setting. This increased time requirement is due to a multitude of factors that are aimed at protecting the researcher from laboratory-acquired infections, the work environment from potential contamination and the local community from possible release of high-consequence pathogens. Inside the laboratory, movement is restricted due to air hoses attached to the mandatory full-body safety suits. In addition, disinfection of every item that is removed from Class II biosafety cabinets (BSCs) is required. Laboratory specialists must be trained in the practices of the BSL-4 laboratory and must show high proficiency in the skills they are performing. The focus of this article is to outline proper procedures and techniques to ensure laboratory biosafety and experimental accuracy using a standard viral plaque assay as an example procedure. In particular, proper techniques to work safely in a BSL-4 environment when performing an experiment will be visually emphasized. These techniques include: setting up a Class II BSC for experiments, proper cleaning of the Class II BSC when finished working, waste management and safe disposal of waste generated inside a BSL-4 laboratory, and the removal of inactivated samples from inside a BSL-4 laboratory to the BSL-2 laboratory.

The challenges and opportunities of translating best practice immunisation strategies among low performing general practices to reduce equity gaps in childhood immunisation coverage in New Zealand.

PubMed

Turner, Nikki M; Charania, Nadia A; Chong, Angela; Stewart, Joanna; Taylor, Lynn

2017-01-01

Immunisation coverage rates vary considerably at the local level across New Zealand and challenges remain with effectively translating best available research evidence into public health practice. This study aimed to translate best practices from high performing general practices into strategies to improve childhood immunisation coverage among low performing practices. An intervention study was undertaken of general practices with low immunisation coverage rates and a high percentage of the enrolled population being of Māori ethnicity. Intervention groups received customised action plans and support for a 12 month period while control groups received 'business as usual' support. Structured interviews were conducted with key informants from all participating practices to understand current aspects related to childhood immunisation delivery and surveys were conducted to understand how the intervention worked. Collected data were thematically analysed. Ten sites were randomised to either intervention ( n  = 6) or control group ( n  = 4). Positive aspects of childhood immunisation delivery included high prioritisation at the practice and staff being pro-immunisation and knowledgeable. Key challenges experienced included inaccurate family contact information and discrepancies with referral processes to other providers. Other challenges noted were building rapport with families and vaccine hesitancy. The action plans included various strategies aimed to improve processes at the practice, contact and engagement with parents, and partnership development with local service providers. Creating customised action plans and providing support to providers were considered as helpful approaches when attempting to improve childhood immunisation coverage rates. Our study supports the notion that one strategy will not solely by itself improve childhood immunisation rates and highlights the importance of having a toolkit of strategies from which to draw from.

High performance work systems: the gap between policy and practice in health care reform.

PubMed

Leggat, Sandra G; Bartram, Timothy; Stanton, Pauline

2011-01-01

Studies of high-performing organisations have consistently reported a positive relationship between high performance work systems (HPWS) and performance outcomes. Although many of these studies have been conducted in manufacturing, similar findings of a positive correlation between aspects of HPWS and improved care delivery and patient outcomes have been reported in international health care studies. The purpose of this paper is to bring together the results from a series of studies conducted within Australian health care organisations. First, the authors seek to demonstrate the link found between high performance work systems and organisational performance, including the perceived quality of patient care. Second, the paper aims to show that the hospitals studied do not have the necessary aspects of HPWS in place and that there has been little consideration of HPWS in health system reform. The paper draws on a series of correlation studies using survey data from hospitals in Australia, supplemented by qualitative data collection and analysis. To demonstrate the link between HPWS and perceived quality of care delivery the authors conducted regression analysis with tests of mediation and moderation to analyse survey responses of 201 nurses in a large regional Australian health service and explored HRM and HPWS in detail in three casestudy organisations. To achieve the second aim, the authors surveyed human resource and other senior managers in all Victorian health sector organisations and reviewed policy documents related to health system reform planned for Australia. The findings suggest that there is a relationship between HPWS and the perceived quality of care that is mediated by human resource management (HRM) outcomes, such as psychological empowerment. It is also found that health care organisations in Australia generally do not have the necessary aspects of HPWS in place, creating a policy and practice gap. Although the chief executive officers of health service organisations reported high levels of strategic HRM, the human resource and other managers reported a distinct lack of HPWS from their perspectives. The authors discuss why health care organisations may have difficulty in achieving HPWS. Leaders in health care organisations should focus on ensuring human resource management systems, structures and processes that support HPWS. Policy makers need to consider HPWS as a necessary component of health system reform. There is a strong need to reorient organisational human resource management policies and procedures in public health care organisations towards high performing work systems.

Use of key performance indicators in histological dissection.

PubMed

Griffiths, Matthew; Gillibrand, Rachel

2017-12-01

Reports into standards in the National Health Service and quality in pathology have focused on the way we work in pathology and how to provide assurance that this is of a high standard. There are a number of external quality assurance schemes covering pathology and histopathology specifically; however, there is no scheme covering the process of histological surgical dissection. This is an area undergoing development, emerging from the sole preserve of medically qualified pathologists to a field populated by a number of highly trained biomedical scientists, but remains without any formal quality assurance. This work builds on Barnes, taking the guidance of the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath)and Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS)to form a series of key performance indicators relating to dissection. These were developed for use as an indicator of individual practice, highlighting areas of variation, weakness or strength. Once identified, a feedback event provided opportunities to address these errors and omissions, or to enable areas of strength to be shared. The data obtained from the checklists demonstrate a large variation in practice at the outset of this study. The use of the checklists alone served to reduce this variation in practice, the addition of the training event showed further reduction in variation. The combination of these two tools was an effective method for enhancing standardisation of practice. The results of this work show that training events serve to reduce variation in practice by, and between, dissectors, driving up standards in dissection-directly addressing the needs of the modern pathology service. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Simulation experience enhances physical therapist student confidence in managing a patient in the critical care environment.

PubMed

Ohtake, Patricia J; Lazarus, Marcilene; Schillo, Rebecca; Rosen, Michael

2013-02-01

Rehabilitation of patients in critical care environments improves functional outcomes. This finding has led to increased implementation of intensive care unit (ICU) rehabilitation programs, including early mobility, and an associated increased demand for physical therapists practicing in ICUs. Unfortunately, many physical therapists report being inadequately prepared to work in this high-risk environment. Simulation provides focused, deliberate practice in safe, controlled learning environments and may be a method to initiate academic preparation of physical therapists for ICU practice. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of participation in simulation-based management of a patient with critical illness in an ICU setting on levels of confidence and satisfaction in physical therapist students. A one-group, pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design was used. Physical therapist students (N=43) participated in a critical care simulation experience requiring technical (assessing bed mobility and pulmonary status), behavioral (patient and interprofessional communication), and cognitive (recognizing a patient status change and initiating appropriate responses) skill performance. Student confidence and satisfaction were surveyed before and after the simulation experience. Students' confidence in their technical, behavioral, and cognitive skill performance increased from "somewhat confident" to "confident" following the critical care simulation experience. Student satisfaction was highly positive, with strong agreement the simulation experience was valuable, reinforced course content, and was a useful educational tool. Limitations of the study were the small sample from one university and a control group was not included. Incorporating a simulated, interprofessional critical care experience into a required clinical course improved physical therapist student confidence in technical, behavioral, and cognitive performance measures and was associated with high student satisfaction. Using simulation, students were introduced to the critical care environment, which may increase interest in working in this practice area.

Conference on "Multidisciplinary approaches to nutritional problems". Symposium on "Performance, exercise and health". Practical aspects of nutrition in performance.

PubMed

Gilbert, Nicky

2009-02-01

The importance of nutrition in sport has been recognised since the ancient Olympians, and its role in improving both health and sports performance has widespread acceptance. However, in sporting circles nutritional knowledge, beliefs and practices are extremely varied. Within any sporting organisation the sports dietitian or nutritionist must be able to work with athletes, their family, coaches and other support staff to develop and monitor realistic and practical strategies that work best for each performer, contributing to a positive and sustained outcome on performance. The present review examines the practical application of current key issues in performance nutrition, highlighting the advantages of early intervention in youth development and comprehensive and integrated nutrition services.

Performance verification of an epithermal neutron flux monitor using accelerator-based BNCT neutron sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, X.; Murata, I.; Wang, T.

2017-09-01

The performance of an epithermal neutron flux monitor developed for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is verified by Monte Carlo simulations using accelerator-based neutron sources (ABNSs). The results indicate that the developed epithermal neutron flux monitor works well and it can be efficiently used in practical applications to measure the epithermal neutron fluxes of ABNSs in a high accuracy.

Empowering Equity in Postsecondary Transition for Marginalized Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Disabilities by Implementing a Culturally Responsive Summary of Performance Teacher Training and Support Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jez, Rebekka Joanne

2011-01-01

Marginalized culturally and linguistically diverse students with special needs often struggle after high school. Many special educators are unaware of legal mandates and best practice in postsecondary transition, especially the intricate needs when working this group. The culturally responsive Summary of Performance (CRSOP) training and support…

Proactive interference and practice effects in visuospatial working memory span task performance.

PubMed

Blalock, Lisa Durrance; McCabe, David P

2011-01-01

In the current study the influence of proactive interference (PI) and practice on recall from a visuospatial working memory (WM) task was examined. Participants completed a visuospatial WM span task under either high-PI conditions (a traditional span task) or low-PI conditions (a span task with breaks between trials). Trials of each length (i.e., two to five to-be-remembered items) were equally distributed across three blocks in order to examine practice effects. Recall increased across blocks to a greater extent in the low-PI condition than in the high-PI condition, indicating that reducing PI increased recall from WM. Additionally, in the final block the correlation between fluid intelligence and WM recall was stronger for the high-PI condition than the low-PI condition, indicating that practice reduced the strength of the correlation between span task recall and fluid intelligence, but only in the low-PI condition. These results support current theories that propose that one source of variability in recall from WM span task is the build-up of PI, and that PI build-up is an important contributing factor to the relation between visuospatial WM span task recall and higher-level cognition.

Self-handicapping status, claimed self-handicaps and reduced practice effort following success and failure feedback.

PubMed

Thompson, T; Richardson, A

2001-03-01

Self-handicapping involves the strategic establishment of an impediment or obstacle to success prior to a performance situation which thereby provides a convenient excuse for poor performance. The study sought to establish that relative to low trait self-handicappers, high trait self-handicappers exposed to failure in an intellectually evaluative situation will (a) pre-emptively claim more handicaps, and (b) behaviourally self-handicap through reduced practice effort, and (c) report greater anxiety and negative affect relative to low trait self-handicappers. Participants were 72 undergraduate students, divided equally between high and low self-handicapping groups. This study utilised a 2 (self-handicapping status: high, low) x 3 (performance feedback: fail, low task importance; fail, high task importance; success) between-subjects factorial design to investigate claimed and behavioural self-handicapping through reduced practice effort. This was done by manipulating performance outcome and perceived task importance. Relative to low trait self-handicappers, high trait high self-handicappers claimed more handicaps and engaged in greater behavioural self-handicapping following failure when working on tasks that were described as potentially diagnostic of low ability. While low self-handicappers internalised their success more than their failure in the high task importance condition, high self-handicappers were undifferentiated in their attributions across performance conditions. Greater anxiety and greater negative affect were also characteristic of high self-handicappers. The study highlights the self-protective benefit of self-handicapping in sparing the individual from conclusions of low ability, and the failure of high self-handicappers to fully internalise their success. These elements and the role of uncertain estimates of ability are discussed in considering implications for intervention.

Personal Costs and Benefits of Employee Intrapreneurship: Disentangling the Employee Intrapreneurship, Well-Being, and Job Performance Relationship.

PubMed

Gawke, Jason C; Gorgievski, Marjan J; Bakker, Arnold B

2017-12-28

Ample studies have confirmed the benefits of intrapreneurship (i.e., employee behaviors that contribute to new venture creation and strategic renewal activities) for firm performance, but research on the personal costs and benefits of engaging in intrapreneurial activities for employees is lacking. Building on job demands-resources and reinforcement sensitivity theories, we examined how employees' reinforcement sensitivity qualified the relationship among their intrapreneurial behavior, subjective well-being, and other-rated job performance. Using a sample of 241 employee dyads, the results of moderated mediation analyses confirmed that employee intrapreneurship related positively to work engagement for employees high (vs. low) in sensitivity to rewards (behavioral approach system), which subsequently related positively to innovativeness and in-role performance and negatively to work avoidance. In contrast, employee intrapreneurship related positively to exhaustion for employees high (vs. low) in sensitivity to punishments (behavioral inhibition system), which subsequently related positively to work avoidance and negatively to in-role performance (but not to innovativeness). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Practice patterns, satisfaction, and demographics of reproductive endocrinologists: results of the 2014 Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Workforce Survey.

PubMed

Barnhart, Kurt T; Nakajima, Steven T; Puscheck, Elizabeth; Price, Thomas M; Baker, Valerie L; Segars, James

2016-05-01

To identify the current and future state of the practice of reproductive medicine. Cross-sectional survey. Not applicable. None. Not applicable. The survey included 57 questions designed to assess practice patterns/metrics and professional satisfaction and morale. A total of 336/1,100 (31%) responded, and they were 38% women, 61% men, and 76% Caucasian, with a mean age of 54. Respondents averaged 2.3 jobs and averaged 53 hours of work per week: 44% work in academia and 50% in private groups. Average practice size was 5.5, with an average of 470 fresh IVF cycles performed per year. Percent effort included 63% infertility, 10% endocrinology, 10% surgery, and 9% research. Respondents performed an average of 13 major surgeries, 69 minor surgeries, and 128 oocyte retrievals per year. A total of 60% were salaried, and 40% were equity partners. Compensation was highly skewed. Greater than 84% had a positive morale and had a positive view of the future, and 92% would again choose REI as a career. The most satisfying areas of employment were patient interactions, intellectual stimulation, interactions with colleagues, and work schedule. The least satisfying areas were work schedule and financial compensation. Training was felt to be too focused on female factor infertility and basic research with insufficient training on embryology, genetics, male factor infertility, and clinical research. In the next 5 years, 57% suggested that the need for specialists would stay the same, while 20% predicted a decrease. A total of 58% felt we are training the correct number of fellows (37% felt we are training a surplus). Compared with academia, those in private practice reported higher compensation, less major surgery, more IVF, less endocrinology, and less research. Men worked more hours, conducted more surgery and IVF cycles, and had higher compensation than women. Morale was similar across age, gender, practice type, and geography. Our subspecialty has an extremely high morale. We are a middle-aged subspecialty with disparate compensation and a focused practice. Some respondents sense a need for a change in our training, and most anticipate only mild growth in our field. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dental students' part-time jobs in dental practices in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Poorterman, J H G; Dikkes, B T; Brand, H S

2010-08-01

In the Netherlands, the Individual Health Care Professions Act (IHCP Act) allows dental students, amongst other non-qualified individuals, to work under certain conditions in a dental practice. The aim of the study was to determine how many dental students have part-time employment in dental practice and which professional tasks they carry out. We also asked the dental students their opinion about the IHCP Act. All the enrolled dental students at the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) in the Netherlands received a questionnaire by e-mail. Within 1 month, two reminders were sent. The response was 44% (427 students). Of the responding students, 71% had paid employment in addition to their study. Twenty-five per cent of all students worked in a dental practice, usually 8 h a week. Study year and age were positively related to working part-time in dental practice. Activities frequently performed were providing chair side assistance, giving oral hygiene instruction, fluoride applications, scaling and root planning. The self-reported knowledge about the IHCP Act was positively related to study year and working in a dental practice. Hardly any information about the requirements of the IHCP Act with regard to delegation of tasks was provided by the employer. Many Dutch dental students work in a dental practice, taking over a variety of tasks. Although the self-reported knowledge about the IHCP Act was relatively high, many dental students expressed the need for more detailed information about the legal aspects of their tasks.

Assessing Job Applicants for Skills To Keep the Automotive Industry Competitive.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Advanced Integrated Manufacturing Center, Dayton, OH.

The Advanced Integrated Manufacturing (AIM) Center is a partnership between Sinclair Community College and the University of Dayton (Ohio) that was established to help local manufacturing companies achieve world-class performance by improving their business practices, selecting/developing a highly skilled work force, and making appropriate use of…

Stress Training and Simulator Complexity: Why Sometimes More Is Less

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tichon, Jennifer G.; Wallis, Guy M.

2010-01-01

Through repeated practice under conditions similar to those in real-world settings, simulator training prepares an individual to maintain effective performance under stressful work conditions. Interfaces offering high fidelity and immersion can more closely reproduce real-world experiences and are generally believed to result in better learning…

Math anxiety differentially affects WAIS-IV arithmetic performance in undergraduates.

PubMed

Buelow, Melissa T; Frakey, Laura L

2013-06-01

Previous research has shown that math anxiety can influence the math performance level; however, to date, it is unknown whether math anxiety influences performance on working memory tasks during neuropsychological evaluation. In the present study, 172 undergraduate students completed measures of math achievement (the Math Computation subtest from the Wide Range Achievement Test-IV), math anxiety (the Math Anxiety Rating Scale-Revised), general test anxiety (from the Adult Manifest Anxiety Scale-College version), and the three Working Memory Index tasks from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV Edition (WAIS-IV; Digit Span [DS], Arithmetic, Letter-Number Sequencing [LNS]). Results indicated that math anxiety predicted performance on Arithmetic, but not DS or LNS, above and beyond the effects of gender, general test anxiety, and math performance level. Our findings suggest that math anxiety can negatively influence WAIS-IV working memory subtest scores. Implications for clinical practice include the utilization of LNS in individuals expressing high math anxiety.

Implementation of Industrial Work Practice management at vocational high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widodo, Joko; Samsudi, Sunyoto

2017-03-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a management model of entrepreneurship-based Industrial Work Practice (Prakerin) at Vocational High School. This research was planned for three years under Research and Development design. The respondents were public and private Vocational High Schools in Semarang, Salatiga and District of Demak, Central Java, Indonesia. Data were collected through interviews, questionnaires, observation, and documentation. The data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Preliminary study shows that the implementation of Industrial Work Practice at Vocational High School, which has been carried out, was only to prepare the graduates to become an employee of the industry instead of entrepreneur. Further study is needed to develop a management model of entrepreneurship-based Industrial Work Practice at Vocational High School.

Silicon and Carbon Nanocomposite Spheres with Enhanced Electrochemical Performance for Full Cell Lithium Ion Batteries

PubMed Central

Wang, Wei; Favors, Zachary; Li, Changling; Liu, Chueh; Ye, Rachel; Fu, Chengyin; Bozhilov, Krassimir; Guo, Juchen; Ozkan, Mihrimah; Ozkan, Cengiz S.

2017-01-01

Herein, facile synthesis of monodisperse silicon and carbon nanocomposite spheres (MSNSs) is achieved via a simple and scalable surface-protected magnesiothermic reduction with subsequent chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Li-ion batteries (LIBs) were fabricated to test the utility of MSNSs as an anode material. LIB anodes based on MSNSs demonstrate a high reversible capacity of 3207 mAh g−1, superior rate performance, and excellent cycling stability. Furthermore, the performance of full cell LIBs was evaluated by using MSNS anode and a LiCoO2 cathode with practical electrode loadings. The MSNS/LiCoO2 full cell demonstrates high gravimetric energy density in the order of 850 Wh L−1 with excellent cycling stability. This work shows a proof of concept of the use of monodisperse Si and C nanocomposite spheres toward practical lithium-ion battery applications. PMID:28322285

Employees’ Perceived Opportunities to Craft and In-Role Performance: The Mediating Role of Job Crafting and Work Engagement

PubMed Central

van Wingerden, Jessica; Poell, Rob F.

2017-01-01

The present study was designed to gain knowledge of the relationship between employees’ perceived opportunities to craft, their actual job crafting behavior and, in line with JD-R theory, subsequently their work engagement and performance. Although scholars have suggested that employees’ perceived opportunities to craft their job may predict their actual job crafting behavior, which may have consequences for their well-being and performance, no study has examined the relationships between these variables. We collected data among a heterogeneous group of Dutch employees (N = 2090). Participants of the study reported their perceived opportunities to craft, job crafting behavior, work engagement and performance. Results indicated that individuals who experience a high level of opportunities to craft reported higher levels of job crafting behavior. In turn, perceived opportunities to craft and job crafting behavior related to higher levels of work engagement and subsequently performance. We discuss the implications of these findings for theory and practice. PMID:29118729

Employees' Perceived Opportunities to Craft and In-Role Performance: The Mediating Role of Job Crafting and Work Engagement.

PubMed

van Wingerden, Jessica; Poell, Rob F

2017-01-01

The present study was designed to gain knowledge of the relationship between employees' perceived opportunities to craft, their actual job crafting behavior and, in line with JD-R theory, subsequently their work engagement and performance. Although scholars have suggested that employees' perceived opportunities to craft their job may predict their actual job crafting behavior, which may have consequences for their well-being and performance, no study has examined the relationships between these variables. We collected data among a heterogeneous group of Dutch employees ( N = 2090). Participants of the study reported their perceived opportunities to craft, job crafting behavior, work engagement and performance. Results indicated that individuals who experience a high level of opportunities to craft reported higher levels of job crafting behavior. In turn, perceived opportunities to craft and job crafting behavior related to higher levels of work engagement and subsequently performance. We discuss the implications of these findings for theory and practice.

Self-determination, control, and reactions to changes in workload: a work simulation.

PubMed

Parker, Stacey L; Jimmieson, Nerina L; Amiot, Catherine E

2013-04-01

The objective of this experimental study is to capture the dynamic temporal processes that occur in changing work settings and to test how work control and individuals' motivational predispositions interact to predict reactions to these changes. To this aim, we examine the moderating effects of global self-determined and non-self-determined motivation, at different levels of work control, on participants' adaptation and stress reactivity to changes in workload during four trials of an inbox activity. Workload was increased or decreased at Trial 3, and adaptation to this change was examined via fluctuations in anxiety, coping, motivation, and performance. In support of the hypotheses, results revealed that, for non-self-determined individuals, low work control was stress-buffering and high work control was stress-exacerbating when predicting anxiety and intrinsic motivation. In contrast, for self-determined individuals, high work control facilitated the adaptive use of planning coping in response to a change in workload. Overall, this pattern of results demonstrates that, while high work control was anxiety-provoking and demotivating for non-self-determined individuals, self-determined individuals used high work control to implement an adaptive antecedent-focused emotion regulation strategy (i.e., planning coping) to meet situational demands. Other interactive effects of global motivation emerged on anxiety, active coping, and task performance. These results and their practical implications are discussed.

The internal processes and behavioral dynamics of hospital boards: an exploration of differences between high- and low-performing hospitals.

PubMed

Kane, Nancy M; Clark, Jonathan R; Rivenson, Howard L

2009-01-01

Nonprofit hospital boards are under increasing pressure to improve financial, clinical, and charitable and community benefit performance. Most research on board effectiveness focuses on variables measuring board structure and attributes associated with competing ideal models of board roles. However, the results do not provide clear evidence that one role is superior to another and suggest that in practice boards pursue hybrid roles. Board dynamics and processes have received less attention from researchers, but emerging theoretical frameworks highlight them as key to effective corporate governance. We explored differences in board processes and behavioral dynamics between financially high- and low-performing hospitals, with the goal of developing a better understanding of the best board practices in nonprofit hospitals. A comparative case study approach allowed for in-depth, qualitative assessments of how the internal workings of boards differ between low- and high-performing facilities. Boards of hospitals with strong financial performance exhibited behavioral dynamics and internal processes that differed in important ways from those of hospitals with poor financial performance. Boards need to actively attend to key processes and foster positive group dynamics in decision making to be more effective in governing hospitals.

Nursing Practice Environment and Outcomes for Oncology Nursing

PubMed Central

Shang, Jingjing; Friese, Christopher R.; Wu, Evan; Aiken, Linda H.

2012-01-01

Background It is commonly assumed that oncology nurses experience high job-related burnout and high turnover because their work involves inherent stressors such as caring for patients with serious and often life-threatening illness. Objectives The objectives of this study were to examine the differences in outcomes such as job dissatisfaction and burnout between oncology nurses and medical-surgical nurses, and to identify factors that affect oncology nurse outcomes. Methods A secondary analysis of nurse survey data collected in 2006 including 4047 nurses from 282 hospitals in 3 states was performed; t test and χ2 test compared differences between oncology nurses and medical-surgical nurses in nurse outcomes and their assessments of nurse practice environment, as measured by the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index. Logistic regression models estimated the effect of nurse practice environment on 4 nurse-reported outcomes: burnout, job dissatisfaction, intention to leave the current position, and perceived quality of care. Results Oncology nurses reported favorable practice environments and better outcomes than did medical-surgical nurses. All 4 subscales of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index studied were significantly associated with outcomes. Specifically, nurses who reported favorable nursing foundations for quality of care (eg, active in-service or preceptorship programs) were less likely to report burnout and leave their current position. Conclusions Better practice environments, including nurse foundations for quality care, can help to achieve optimal nurse outcomes. Implications for Practice Improving hospital practice environments holds significant potential to improve nurse well-being, retention, and quality of care. Specifically, hospitals should consider preceptor programs and continuing education and increase nurses’ participation in hospital decision making. PMID:22751101

High performance in healthcare priority setting and resource allocation: A literature- and case study-based framework in the Canadian context.

PubMed

Smith, Neale; Mitton, Craig; Hall, William; Bryan, Stirling; Donaldson, Cam; Peacock, Stuart; Gibson, Jennifer L; Urquhart, Bonnie

2016-08-01

Priority setting and resource allocation, or PSRA, are key functions of executive teams in healthcare organizations. Yet decision-makers often base their choices on historical patterns of resource distribution or political pressures. Our aim was to provide leaders with guidance on how to improve PSRA practice, by creating organizational contexts which enable high performance. We carried out in-depth case studies of six Canadian healthcare organizations to obtain from healthcare leaders their understanding of the concept of high performance in PSRA and the factors which contribute to its achievement. Individual and group interviews were carried out (n = 62) with senior managers, middle managers and Board members. Site observations and document review were used to assist researchers in interpreting the interview data. Qualitative data were analyzed iteratively with the literature on empirical examples of PSRA practice, in order to develop a framework of high performance in PSRA. The framework consists of four domains - structures, processes, attitudes and behaviours, and outcomes - within which are 19 specific elements. The emergent themes derive from case studies in different kinds of health organizations (urban/rural, small/large) across Canada. The elements can serve as a checklist for 'high performance' in PSRA. This framework provides a means by which decision-makers in healthcare might assess their practice and identify key areas for improvement. The findings are likely generalizable, certainly within Canada but also across countries. This work constitutes, to our knowledge, the first attempt to present a full package of elements comprising high performance in health care PSRA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Maximizing your return on people.

PubMed

Bassi, Laurie; McMurrer, Daniel

2007-03-01

Though most traditional HR performance metrics don't predict organizational performance, alternatives simply have not existed--until now. During the past ten years, researchers Laurie Bassi and Daniel McMurrer have worked to develop a system that allows executives to assess human capital management (HCM) and to use those metrics both to predict organizational performance and to guide organizations' investments in people. The new framework is based on a core set of HCM drivers that fall into five major categories: leadership practices, employee engagement, knowledge accessibility, workforce optimization, and organizational learning capacity. By employing rigorously designed surveys to score a company on the range of HCM practices across the five categories, it's possible to benchmark organizational HCM capabilities, identify HCM strengths and weaknesses, and link improvements or back-sliding in specific HCM practices with improvements or shortcomings in organizational performance. The process requires determining a "maturity" score for each practice, based on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high). Over time, evolving maturity scores from multiple surveys can reveal progress in each of the HCM practices and help a company decide where to focus improvement efforts that will have a direct impact on performance. The authors draw from their work with American Standard, South Carolina's Beaufort County School District, and a bevy of financial firms to show how improving HCM scores led to increased sales, safety, academic test scores, and stock returns. Bassi and McMurrer urge HR departments to move beyond the usual metrics and begin using HCM measurement tools to gauge how well people are managed and developed throughout the organization. In this new role, according to the authors, HR can take on strategic responsibility and ensure that superior human capital management becomes central to the organization's culture.

A Measure of Team Resilience: Developing the Resilience at Work Team Scale.

PubMed

McEwen, Kathryn; Boyd, Carolyn M

2018-03-01

This study develops, and initial evaluates, a new measure of team-based resilience for use in research and practice. We conducted preliminary analyses, based on a cross-sectional sample of 344 employees nested within 31 teams. Seven dimensions were identified through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The measure had high reliability and significant discrimination to indicate the presence of a unique team-based aspect of resilience that contributed to higher work engagement and higher self-rated team performance, over and above the effects of individual resilience. Multilevel analyses showed that team, but not individual, resilience predicted self-rated team performance. Practice implications include a need to focus on collective as well as individual behaviors in resilience-building. The measure provides a diagnostic instrument for teams and a scale to evaluate organizational interventions and research the relationship of resilience to other constructs.

Improving the delivery of preventive care services.

PubMed

Hung, Dorothy Y

2007-05-01

Performance of preventive services is an important indicator of high-quality health care, but many recommended services are not regularly offered in primary care practices. Health risk assessments, counseling, and referral to community-based programs help address risk behaviors, many of which are leading causes of preventable death and disability in the United States. This study examined various influences on the delivery of preventive services designed to address smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, unhealthy diets, and sedentary lifestyles. More than 300 health care providers in 52 practices nationwide have contributed data to this study. Staff participation in quality improvement enhanced work relationships and also diminished the effect of practice size on the performance of preventive care. The use of nurse practitioners, allied health professionals, clinician reminders, and patient registries were positively associated with care delivery.

A realist evaluation of the management of a well- performing regional hospital in Ghana

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Realist evaluation offers an interesting approach to evaluation of interventions in complex settings, but has been little applied in health care. We report on a realist case study of a well performing hospital in Ghana and show how such a realist evaluation design can help to overcome the limited external validity of a traditional case study. Methods We developed a realist evaluation framework for hypothesis formulation, data collection, data analysis and synthesis of the findings. Focusing on the role of human resource management in hospital performance, we formulated our hypothesis around the high commitment management concept. Mixed methods were used in data collection, including individual and group interviews, observations and document reviews. Results We found that the human resource management approach (the actual intervention) included induction of new staff, training and personal development, good communication and information sharing, and decentralised decision-making. We identified 3 additional practices: ensuring optimal physical working conditions, access to top managers and managers' involvement on the work floor. Teamwork, recognition and trust emerged as key elements of the organisational climate. Interviewees reported high levels of organisational commitment. The analysis unearthed perceived organisational support and reciprocity as underlying mechanisms that link the management practices with commitment. Methodologically, we found that realist evaluation can be fruitfully used to develop detailed case studies that analyse how management interventions work and in which conditions. Analysing the links between intervention, mechanism and outcome increases the explaining power, while identification of essential context elements improves the usefulness of the findings for decision-makers in other settings (external validity). We also identified a number of practical difficulties and priorities for further methodological development. Conclusion This case suggests that a well-balanced HRM bundle can stimulate organisational commitment of health workers. Such practices can be implemented even with narrow decision spaces. Realist evaluation provides an appropriate approach to increase the usefulness of case studies to managers and policymakers. PMID:20100330

A realist evaluation of the management of a well-performing regional hospital in Ghana.

PubMed

Marchal, Bruno; Dedzo, McDamien; Kegels, Guy

2010-01-25

Realist evaluation offers an interesting approach to evaluation of interventions in complex settings, but has been little applied in health care. We report on a realist case study of a well performing hospital in Ghana and show how such a realist evaluation design can help to overcome the limited external validity of a traditional case study. We developed a realist evaluation framework for hypothesis formulation, data collection, data analysis and synthesis of the findings. Focusing on the role of human resource management in hospital performance, we formulated our hypothesis around the high commitment management concept. Mixed methods were used in data collection, including individual and group interviews, observations and document reviews. We found that the human resource management approach (the actual intervention) included induction of new staff, training and personal development, good communication and information sharing, and decentralised decision-making. We identified 3 additional practices: ensuring optimal physical working conditions, access to top managers and managers' involvement on the work floor. Teamwork, recognition and trust emerged as key elements of the organisational climate. Interviewees reported high levels of organisational commitment. The analysis unearthed perceived organisational support and reciprocity as underlying mechanisms that link the management practices with commitment. Methodologically, we found that realist evaluation can be fruitfully used to develop detailed case studies that analyse how management interventions work and in which conditions. Analysing the links between intervention, mechanism and outcome increases the explaining power, while identification of essential context elements improves the usefulness of the findings for decision-makers in other settings (external validity). We also identified a number of practical difficulties and priorities for further methodological development. This case suggests that a well-balanced HRM bundle can stimulate organisational commitment of health workers. Such practices can be implemented even with narrow decision spaces. Realist evaluation provides an appropriate approach to increase the usefulness of case studies to managers and policymakers.

Comparison of Physical Therapy Anatomy Performance and Anxiety Scores in Timed and Untimed Practical Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Sarah M.; Evans, Cathy; Agur, Anne M.R.

2015-01-01

Students in health care professional programs face many stressful tests that determine successful completion of their program. Test anxiety during these high stakes examinations can affect working memory and lead to poor outcomes. Methods of decreasing test anxiety include lengthening the time available to complete examinations or evaluating…

Fast Capitalism, School Reform, and Second Language Literacy Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gebhard, Meg

2004-01-01

This 2-year qualitative study explores the ironies of educational reform in the United States as experienced by three second language learners attending a school attempting to transform itself into a high-performance elementary school in California's Silicon Valley. Drawing on the concept of fast capitalism in a globalized economic work order…

Working and Environmental Factors on Job Burnout: A Cross-sectional Study Among Nurses

PubMed Central

Galletta, Maura; Portoghese, Igor; Ciuffi, Marta; Sancassiani, Federica; Aloja, Ernesto D'; Campagna, Marcello

2016-01-01

Background: Burnout is a problem that impacts on the staff management costs and on the patient care quality. Objective: This work aimed to investigate some psychosocial factors related to burnout. Specifically, we explored the sample characteristics for moderate/high emotional exhaustion, cynicism and professional inefficacy, as well as the relationship between both working and environmental variables and burnout. Method: A cross-sectional study involving 307 nurses from one Italian hospital was carried out. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data. Data analysis was performed by using SPSS 19.0. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between nurses with low and moderate/high burnout in all the three components in almost all the examined organizational variables. In addition, we found that the aspects of working life had a significant impact on the three dimensions of burnout. Conclusions: The findings of this study not only can provide useful basis for future research in the field, but also can offer practical suggestions for improving nursing practice and promote effective workplace, thus reducing the risk burnout among nurses. PMID:27990173

An examination of occupation-based, client-centered, evidence-based occupational therapy practices in New Hampshire.

PubMed

Mulligan, Shelley; White, Barbara Prudhomme; Arthanat, Sajay

2014-01-01

This study surveyed occupational therapy practitioners to gain a better understanding of the nature of occupational therapy practices in the State of New Hampshire. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to a sample of practitioners working in New Hampshire to gather information regarding the extent to which occupation-based, client-centered, evidence-based services were being provided. Results suggested that practitioners highly value these service delivery attributes. However, day-to-day practice decisions regarding evaluation methods, where to conduct intervention sessions, goal writing, and choices of intervention activities suggest a stronger emphasis on the evaluation and remediation of specific performance skill and body function deficits, rather than on client performance of desired occupations. In light of the findings, the discrepancy between practitioner values and daily clinical practices is discussed, along with the challenges inherent in providing authentic, evidence-based occupational therapy. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

Practice patterns among male and female general dentists in a Washington State population.

PubMed

del Aguila, Michael A; Leggott, Penelope J; Robertson, Paul B; Porterfield, Denise L; Felber, Gene D

2005-06-01

Women make up about 14 percent of general dentists in the United States, and the proportion is projected to exceed 29 percent by 2020. The authors obtained dental benefits claims data from the Washington Dental Service (WDS), Seattle, and used them to examine the practice patterns of 265 women and 1,947 men engaged in general dentistry for at least 26 days in 2001. Practice variables of interest included age, days worked, procedures performed and total income from WDS reimbursements and patient copayments. The number, age and sex of patients treated also were obtained. Using productivity data, the authors also estimated the potential impact of an increase in the percentage of female dentists in the state. The authors found no differences between male and female dentists in the number of procedures per patient, income per patient or income per day of work. Frequency distributions of various services were highly similar for both groups. Multiple regression models showed no influence of dentist's sex on total income. However, the mean and median numbers of days worked were about 10 percent lower for female dentists than for male dentists. This difference was consistent with the finding that female dentists treated approximately 10 percent fewer patients, performed about 10 percent fewer procedures and had a combined income of about 10 percent less than that of male dentists. Practice patterns of male and female dentists generally were equivalent in this WDS population. Female and male dentists provided a similar range of services and earned an equal income per patient treated and per day worked. However, women worked fewer days per year than did men, irrespective of age. If the dental work force and practice patterns remain unchanged otherwise, the total number of patients treated per dentist will decrease slightly as women make up an increasing proportion of dentists.

Work and retirement preferences of practicing radiologists as a predictor of workforce needs.

PubMed

Moriarity, Andrew K; Brown, Manuel L; Schultz, Lonni R

2014-08-01

The radiology job market has been described as highly variable, and recent practice hiring surveys predict that the number of available jobs will remain flat. Radiologists may be working more hours and retiring later than desired, activities that influence overall job availability. A national survey was performed to determine the desired work rate and retirement preferences of practicing radiologists, and the responses are used to estimate current and potential future work output and future workforce needs. Practicing radiologists were surveyed regarding current and preferred work level and desired and expected retirement age. A model incorporating these preferences and stratified by age was developed using survey responses and American Medical Association full-time equivalent (FTE) estimates. Available FTE radiologists are estimated under four scenarios from 2016 to 2031 in 5-year intervals. The model predicts a total of 26,362 FTE radiologists available in 2011, which corresponds to previous estimates. Participants reported working more hours and expecting to retire later than desired, with younger radiologists and women reporting the greatest desired decrease in FTE hours worked. Under each scenario, there is an initial FTE availability in 2016 ranging from 21,156 to 24,537, which increases to between 27,753 and 31,435 FTE by 2031 depending on work rate and retirement patterns. Practicing radiologists report that they currently work more hours than desired and expect to retire later than they would prefer. If radiologists changed current personal work rate and expected retirement age to meet these preferences, there would be an immediate shortage of FTE radiologists continuing until at least 2020 assuming no other workforce needs changes. Copyright © 2014 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bridge, Pete, E-mail: pete.bridge@qut.edu.au; Gunn, Therese; Kastanis, Lazaros

A novel realistic 3D virtual reality (VR) application has been developed to allow medical imaging students at Queensland University of Technology to practice radiographic techniques independently outside the usual radiography laboratory. A flexible agile development methodology was used to create the software rapidly and effectively. A 3D gaming environment and realistic models were used to engender presence in the software while tutor-determined gold standards enabled students to compare their performance and learn in a problem-based learning pedagogy. Students reported high levels of satisfaction and perceived value and the software enabled up to 40 concurrent users to prepare for clinical practice.more » Student feedback also indicated that they found 3D to be of limited value in the desktop version compared to the usual 2D approach. A randomised comparison between groups receiving software-based and traditional practice measured performance in a formative role play with real equipment. The results of this work indicated superior performance with the equipment for the VR trained students (P = 0.0366) and confirmed the value of VR for enhancing 3D equipment-based problem-solving skills. Students practising projection techniques virtually performed better at role play assessments than students practising in a traditional radiography laboratory only. The application particularly helped with 3D equipment configuration, suggesting that teaching 3D problem solving is an ideal use of such medical equipment simulators. Ongoing development work aims to establish the role of VR software in preparing students for clinical practice with a range of medical imaging equipment.« less

Supervisor-subordinate age dissimilarity and performance ratings: the buffering effects of supervisory relationship and practice.

PubMed

Van der Heijden, Beatrice I J M; Scholarios, Dora; Van der Schoot, Esther; Jedrzejowicz, Piotr; Bozionelos, Nikos; Epitropaki, Olga; Knauth, Peter; Marzec, Izabela; Mikkelsen, Aslaug; Van der Heijde, Claudia

2010-01-01

Using 394 pairs of employees and their immediate supervisors working in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector in three northern European countries, this study examined the effect of workplace moderators on the link between relational demography and supervisor ratings of performance. Directional age differences between superior and subordinate (i.e., status incongruence caused when the supervisor is older or younger than his/her subordinate) and non-directional age differences were used as predictors of supervisor ratings of occupational expertise. The quality of the supervisor-subordinate relationship and the existence of positive age-related supervisory practices were examined as moderators of this relationship. The results provide no support for a relationship between directional age differences and age-related stereotyping by supervisors in ratings of performance, neither for the effects of age-related supervisory practices. However, high quality supervisor-subordinate relationships did moderate the effects of age dissimilarity on supervisory ratings. The implications of these findings for performance appraisal methodologies and recommendations for further research are discussed.

Quantitative diagnostics of multilayered composite structures with ultrasonic guided waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunget, Gheorghe; Friedersdorf, Fritz; Na, Jeong K.

2015-03-01

The main objective of the current work is to develop a practical nondestructive inspection methodology for a highly sound absorbing composite structural system consisting of polymeric and metallic materials. Due to constraints in geometrical shapes and thicknesses of the composite system used in this work, ultrasonic guided wave approach has been chosen. Since the polymer coatings have high damping properties, less energy is dissipated into the adjacent media in the presence of interface delaminations. Experimental measurements performed on a targeted composite system, whether it has an aluminum, carbon-fiber-composite, or steel outer casing, show promising results.

A medical home: value and implications of knowledge management.

PubMed

Orzano, A John; McInerney, Claire R; McDaniel, Reuben R; Meese, Abigail; Alajmi, Bibi; Mohr, Stewart M; Tallia, Alfred F

2009-01-01

Central to the "medical home" concept is the premise that the delivery of effective primary care requires a fundamental shift in relationships among practice members and between practice members and patients. Primary care practices can potentially increase their capacity to deliver effective care through knowledge management (KM), a process of sharing and making existing knowledge available or by developing new knowledge among practice members and patients. KM affects performance by influencing work relationships to enhance learning, decision making, and task execution. We extend our previous work to further characterize, describe, and contrast how primary care practices exhibit KM and explain why KM deserves attention in medical home redesign initiatives. Case studies were conducted, drawn from two higher and lower performing practices, which were purposely selected based on disease management, prevention, and productivity measures from an improvement trial. Observations of operations, clinical encounters, meetings, and interviews with office members and patients were transcribed and coded independently using a KM template developed from a previous secondary analysis. Face-to-face discussions resolved coding differences among research team members. Confirmation of findings was sought from practice participants. Practices manifested varying degrees of KM effectiveness through six interdependent processes and multiple overlapping tools. Social tools, such as face-to-face-communication for sharing and developing knowledge, were often more effective than were expensive technical tools such as an electronic medical record. Tool use was tailored for specific outcomes, interacted with each other, and leveraged by other organizational capacities. Practices with effective KM were more open to adopting and sustaining new ways of functioning, ways reflecting attributes of a medical home. Knowledge management differences occur within and between practices and can explain differences in performance. By relying more on social tools rather than costly, high-tech investment, KM leverages primary care's relationship-centered strength, facilitating practice redesign as a medical home.

Perceptions of the Leadership Practices of Principals in a High Performing School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinning, Molly

2014-01-01

The dissertation, "Perceptions Of The Leadership Practices Of Principals In A High Performing School District," explores the understandings of leadership practices from the perspective of parents, teachers, and principals in one high performing school district. The study addressed the leadership practices deemed important by the…

Visibly Learning: Teachers' Assessment Practices for Students with High and Very High Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourke, Roseanna; Mentis, Mandia; Todd, Liz

2011-01-01

This paper examines the assessment practices of teachers working with students with special educational needs in New Zealand primary and secondary regular and special schools. A national survey was used to identify current assessment practices used by teachers working with students designated, through a resourcing policy, as having high and very…

The joint effects of personality and workplace social exchange relationships in predicting task performance and citizenship performance.

PubMed

Kamdar, Dishan; Van Dyne, Linn

2007-09-01

This field study examines the joint effects of social exchange relationships at work (leader-member exchange and team-member exchange) and employee personality (conscientiousness and agreeableness) in predicting task performance and citizenship performance. Consistent with trait activation theory, matched data on 230 employees, their coworkers, and their supervisors demonstrated interactions in which high quality social exchange relationships weakened the positive relationships between personality and performance. Results demonstrate the benefits of consonant predictions in which predictors and outcomes are matched on the basis of specific targets. We discuss theoretical and practical implications. (c) 2007 APA.

A rapid Orthopoxvirus purification protocol suitable for high-containment laboratories.

PubMed

Hughes, Laura; Wilkins, Kimberly; Goldsmith, Cynthia S; Smith, Scott; Hudson, Paul; Patel, Nishi; Karem, Kevin; Damon, Inger; Li, Yu; Olson, Victoria A; Satheshkumar, P S

2017-05-01

Virus purification in a high-containment setting provides unique challenges due to barrier precautions and operational safety approaches that are not necessary in lower biosafety level (BSL) 2 environments. The need for high risk group pathogen diagnostic assay development, anti-viral research, pathogenesis and vaccine efficacy research necessitates work in BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs with infectious agents. When this work is performed in accordance with BSL-4 practices, modifications are often required in standard protocols. Classical virus purification techniques are difficult to execute in a BSL-3 or BSL-4 laboratory because of the work practices used in these environments. Orthopoxviruses are a family of viruses that, in some cases, requires work in a high-containment laboratory and due to size do not lend themselves to simpler purification methods. Current CDC purification techniques of orthopoxviruses uses 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane, commonly known as Genetron ® . Genetron ® is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) that has been shown to be detrimental to the ozone and has been phased out and the limited amount of product makes it no longer a feasible option for poxvirus purification purposes. Here we demonstrate a new Orthopoxvirus purification method that is suitable for high-containment laboratories and produces virus that is not only comparable to previous purification methods, but improves on purity and yield. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Research in action: using positive deviance to improve quality of health care

PubMed Central

Bradley, Elizabeth H; Curry, Leslie A; Ramanadhan, Shoba; Rowe, Laura; Nembhard, Ingrid M; Krumholz, Harlan M

2009-01-01

Background Despite decades of efforts to improve quality of health care, poor performance persists in many aspects of care. Less than 1% of the enormous national investment in medical research is focused on improving health care delivery. Furthermore, when effective innovations in clinical care are discovered, uptake of these innovations is often delayed and incomplete. In this paper, we build on the established principle of 'positive deviance' to propose an approach to identifying practices that improve health care quality. Methods We synthesize existing literature on positive deviance, describe major alternative approaches, propose benefits and limitations of a positive deviance approach for research directed toward improving quality of health care, and describe an application of this approach in improving hospital care for patients with acute myocardial infarction. Results The positive deviance approach, as adapted for use in health care, presumes that the knowledge about 'what works' is available in existing organizations that demonstrate consistently exceptional performance. Steps in this approach: identify 'positive deviants,' i.e., organizations that consistently demonstrate exceptionally high performance in the area of interest (e.g., proper medication use, timeliness of care); study the organizations in-depth using qualitative methods to generate hypotheses about practices that allow organizations to achieve top performance; test hypotheses statistically in larger, representative samples of organizations; and work in partnership with key stakeholders, including potential adopters, to disseminate the evidence about newly characterized best practices. The approach is particularly appropriate in situations where organizations can be ranked reliably based on valid performance measures, where there is substantial natural variation in performance within an industry, when openness about practices to achieve exceptional performance exists, and where there is an engaged constituency to promote uptake of discovered practices. Conclusion The identification and examination of health care organizations that demonstrate positive deviance provides an opportunity to characterize and disseminate strategies for improving quality. PMID:19426507

Teaching Note--Theatre of the Oppressed and Social Work Education: Radicalizing the Practice Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giesler, Mark A.

2017-01-01

Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed has been the basis for radical performance techniques practiced around the world. Widely a staple for theatre performance syllabi, it also has an innovative application for the social work classroom. This article designates Boal's four stages of his poetics of the oppressed and concomitant theatrical…

Freestanding hierarchically porous carbon framework decorated by polyaniline as binder-free electrodes for high performance supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, Fujun; Shao, Changlu; Li, Xinghua; Wang, Kexin; Lu, Na; Liu, Yichun

2016-10-01

Freestanding hierarchically porous carbon electrode materials with favorable features of large surface areas, hierarchical porosity and continuous conducting pathways are very attractive for practical applications in electrochemical devices. Herein, three-dimensional freestanding hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) materials have been fabricated successfully mainly by the facile phase separation method. In order to further improve the energy storage ability, polyaniline (PANI) with high pseudocapacitance has been decorated on HPC through in situ chemical polymerization of aniline monomers. Benefiting from the synergistic effects between HPC and PANI, the resulting HPC/PANI composites as electrode materials present dramatic electrochemical performance with high specific capacitance up to 290 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 and good rate capability with ∼86% (248 F g-1) capacitance retention at 64 A g-1 of initial capacitance in three-electrode configuration. Moreover, the as-assembled symmetric supercapacitor based on HPC/PANI composites also demonstrates good capacitive properties with high energy density of 9.6 Wh kg-1 at 223 W kg-1 and long-term cycling stability with 78% capacitance retention after 10 000 cycles. Therefore, this work provides a new approach for designing high-performance electrodes with exceptional electrochemical performance, which are very promising for practical application in the energy storage field.

Cultural models of self and social class disparities at organizational gateways and pathways.

PubMed

Townsend, Sarah Sm; Truong, Mindy

2017-12-01

Attaining a college degree has traditionally been assumed to be key to upward social and professional mobility. However, college graduates from working-class backgrounds achieve less career success in professional, white-collar workplaces compared to those from middle-class backgrounds. Using a cultural models approach, we examine how the independent cultural beliefs and practices promoted by professional organizations disadvantage people from working-class backgrounds, who espouse interdependent beliefs and practices. Our review illustrates how this disadvantage can manifest in two ways. First, despite relative equality in objective qualifications, it can occur at organizational gateways (e.g., interview and hiring decisions). Second, even after people from working-class backgrounds gain access to an organization, it can occur along organizational pathways (e.g., performance evaluations and assignment to high-profile tasks). Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Practice assistants in primary care in Germany - associations with organizational attributes on job satisfaction.

PubMed

Gavartina, Amina; Zaroti, Stavria; Szecsenyi, Joachim; Miksch, Antje; Ose, Dominik; Campbell, Stephen M; Goetz, Katja

2013-08-05

Job satisfaction and organizational attributes in primary care teams are important issues as they affect clinical outcomes and the quality of health care provided. As practice assistants are an integral part of these teams it is important to gain insight into their views on job satisfaction and organizational attributes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the job satisfaction of practice assistants and the organizational attributes within their general practices in Germany and to explore the existence of possible associations. This observational study was based on a job satisfaction survey and measurement of organizational attributes in general practices in the German federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. Job satisfaction was measured with the 10-item 'Warr-Cook-Wall job satisfaction scale'. Organizational attributes were evaluated with the 21-items 'survey of organizational attributes for primary care' (SOAPC). Linear regression analyses were performed in which each of SOAPC scales and the overall score of SOAPC was treated as outcome variables. 586 practice assistants out of 794 respondents (73.8%) from 234 general practices completed the questionnaire. Practice assistants were mostly satisfied with their colleagues and least of all satisfied with their income and recognition for their work. The regression analysis showed that 'freedom of working method' and 'recognition of work', the employment status of practice assistants and the mode of practice were almost always significantly associated with each subscale and overall score of SOAPC. Job satisfaction is highly associated with different aspects of organizational attributes for primary care ('communication', 'decision-making' and 'stress'). Consequently, improved job satisfaction could lead to a better-organized primary care team. This implication should be investigated directly in further intervention studies with a special focus on improving the recognition for work and income.

Job satisfaction of practice assistants in general practice in Germany: an observational study.

PubMed

Goetz, Katja; Campbell, Stephen; Broge, Bjoern; Brodowski, Marc; Steinhaeuser, Jost; Wensing, Michel; Szecsenyi, Joachim

2013-08-01

Job satisfaction of practice staff is important for optimal health care delivery and for minimizing the turnover of non-medical professions. To document the job satisfaction of practice assistants in German general practice and to explore associations between job satisfaction, staff characteristics and culture in general practice organizations. The study was based on data from the European Practice Assessment accreditation scheme for general practices and used an observational design. The study population consisted of 1158 practice assistants from 345 general practices across Germany. Job satisfaction was measured with the 10-item Warr-Cook-Wall questionnaire. Organizational culture was evaluated with four items. A linear regression analysis was performed in which each of the job satisfaction items was handled as dependent variable. Out of 1716 staff member questionnaires handed out to practice assistants, 1158 questionnaires were completed (response rate: 67.5%). Practice assistants were most satisfied with their colleagues and least satisfied with their income. Higher job satisfaction was associated with issues of organizational culture, particularly a good working atmosphere, opportunities to suggest and influence areas for improvement and clear responsibilities within the practice team. Prioritizing initiatives to maintain high levels of, or to improve the job satisfaction of practice assistants, is important for recruitment and retention. It will also help to improve working conditions for both practice assistants and GPs and create an environment to provide better quality care.

Designing Schools That Work: Organizing Resources Strategically for Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miles, Karen Hawley; Ferris, Kristen

2015-01-01

This publication outlines the fundamental principles and process of Strategic School Design. Through more than a decade of research and practice in the area of school resource use, we have found that high-performing schools are responding to the changing context in education by using people, time, technology, and money in ways that look…

Faculty-Department Chair Relationships: Examining the Nexus of Empowerment and Interpersonal Trust in Community Colleges in the Context of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moye, Melina J.; Henkin, Alan B.; Floyd, Deborah J.

2006-01-01

The concept of interpersonal trust has been linked to empowerment. Managerial-practices literature has asserted that trust strengthens relationships and enables empowerment, which may result in increments in individual performance and organizational productivity. High levels of mutual trust and empowering work environments ostensibly reinforce…

On the design of a miniature haptic ring for cutaneous force feedback using shape memory alloy actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Donghyun; Lee, Jaemin; Kim, Keehoon

2017-10-01

This paper proposes a miniature haptic ring that can display touch/pressure and shearing force to the user’s fingerpad. For practical use and wider application of the device, it is developed with the aim of achieving high wearability and mobility/portability as well as cutaneous force feedback functionality. A main body of the device is designed as a ring-shaped lightweight structure with a simple driving mechanism, and thin shape memory alloy (SMA) wires having high energy density are applied as actuating elements. Also, based on a band-type wireless control unit including a wireless data communication module, the whole device could be realized as a wearable mobile haptic device system. These features enable the device to take diverse advantages on functional performances and to provide users with significant usability. In this work, the proposed miniature haptic ring is systematically designed, and its working performances are experimentally evaluated with a fabricated functional prototype. The experimental results obviously demonstrate that the proposed device exhibits higher force-to-weight ratio than conventional finger-wearable haptic devices for cutaneous force feedback. Also, it is investigated that operational performances of the device are strongly influenced by electro-thermomechanical behaviors of the SMA actuator. In addition to the experiments for performance evaluation, we conduct a preliminary user test to assess practical feasibility and usability based on user’s qualitative feedback.

Ultrahigh-sensitive sensing platform based on p-type dumbbell-like Co3O4 network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Tingting; Zhang, Tong; Zhang, Rui; Lou, Zheng; Deng, Jianan; Wang, Lili

2017-12-01

Development of high performance room temperature sensors remains a grand challenge for high demand of practical application. Metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs) have many advantages over others due to their easy functionalization, high surface area, and low cost. However, they typically need a high work temperature during sensing process. Here, p-type sensing layer is reported, consisting of pore-rich dumbbell-like Co3O4 particles (DP-Co3O4) with intrinsic high catalytic activity. The gas sensor (GS) based DP-Co3O4 catalyst exhibits ultrahigh NH3 sensing activity along with excellent stability over other structure based NH3 GSs in room temperature work environment. In addition, the unique structure of DP-Co3O4 with pore-rich and high catalytic activity endows fast gas diffusion rate and high sensitivity at room temperature. Taken together, the findings in this work highlight the merit of integrating highly active materials in p-type materials, offering a framework to develop high-sensitivity room temperature sensing platforms.

How to Use the School Survey of Practices Associated with High Performance. REL 2016-162

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinstock, Phyllis; Yumoto, Futoshi; Abe, Yasuyo; Meyers, Coby; Wan, Yinmei

2016-01-01

This report describes and explains how to use the School Survey of Practices Associated with High Performance, which measures the degree to which schools are engaging in practices associated with high performance. State education departments and school districts can use the survey results to identify and describe school practices associated with…

Influence of Head Teachers' General and Instructional Supervisory Practices on Teachers' Work Performance in Secondary Schools in Entebbe Municipality, Wakiso District, Uganda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jared, Nzabonimpa Buregeya

2011-01-01

The study examined the Influence of Secondary School Head Teachers' General and Instructional Supervisory Practices on Teachers' Work Performance. Qualitative and qualitative methods with a descriptive-correlational research approach were used in the study. Purposive sampling technique alongside random sampling technique was used to select the…

Improving performance and happiness among healthcare workers through a body-mind approach in a healthcare setting in Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Gunathunga, M W

2016-10-17

Cognitive ergonomics in the work place has become a serious concern with the need to keep people happy at work while maintaining high productivity. Hence, it is worth exploring how the outcomes of lifestyle-based mind development programs can bring about happiness in workplace while keeping productivity and quality of services high. The objective of the present work was to test a body-mind technique to improve cognitive ergonomics in a health care work setting. Principal investigator explored many body-mind techniques before selecting the present method of "insight meditation" which he mastered before applying it on a group of scholars who made it a part of their lifestyle. Later it was introduced to a sample of 500 volunteer health personnel in the western province to generate a ripple effect of happiness at work. Initial qualitative information indicated improvement of some aspects of cognitive ergonomics among those who practiced it. There was a relief from stress during the practice sessions and improvements in the commitment to work and in team spirit. A demand was observed for further training. A quasi-experimental study to test the improvements is underway. Health workers showed interest in the mind training and potential benefits to individuals and the institutions were observed.

46 CFR 67.177 - Application for foreign rebuilding determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the... be considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work... superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the maximum extent practicable, to be comparable to 7...

46 CFR 67.177 - Application for foreign rebuilding determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the... be considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work... superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the maximum extent practicable, to be comparable to 7...

46 CFR 67.177 - Application for foreign rebuilding determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the... be considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work... superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the maximum extent practicable, to be comparable to 7...

46 CFR 67.177 - Application for foreign rebuilding determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the... be considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work... superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the maximum extent practicable, to be comparable to 7...

46 CFR 67.177 - Application for foreign rebuilding determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the... be considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work... superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the maximum extent practicable, to be comparable to 7...

Porous yolk-shell microspheres as N-doped carbon matrix for motivating the oxygen reduction activity of oxygen evolution oriented materials.

PubMed

Zhou, Jinqiu; Wang, Mengfan; Qian, Tao; Liu, Sisi; Cao, Xuecheng; Yang, Tingzhou; Yang, Ruizhi; Yan, Chenglin

2017-09-08

It is highly challenging to explore high-performance bi-functional oxygen electrode catalysts for their practical application in next-generation energy storage and conversion devices. In this work, we synthesize hierarchical N-doped carbon microspheres with porous yolk-shell structure (NCYS) as a metal-free electrocatalyst toward efficient oxygen reduction through a template-free route. The enhanced oxygen reduction performances in both alkaline and acid media profit well from the porous yolk-shell structure as well as abundant nitrogen functional groups. Furthermore, such yolk-shell microspheres can be used as precursor materials to motivate the oxygen reduction activity of oxygen evolution oriented materials to obtain a desirable bi-functional electrocatalyst. To verify its practical utility, Zn-air battery tests are conducted and exhibit satisfactory performance, indicating that this constructed concept for preparation of bi-functional catalyst will afford a promising strategy for exploring novel metal-air battery electrocatalysts.

Porous yolk-shell microspheres as N-doped carbon matrix for motivating the oxygen reduction activity of oxygen evolution oriented materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jinqiu; Wang, Mengfan; Qian, Tao; Liu, Sisi; Cao, Xuecheng; Yang, Tingzhou; Yang, Ruizhi; Yan, Chenglin

2017-09-01

It is highly challenging to explore high-performance bi-functional oxygen electrode catalysts for their practical application in next-generation energy storage and conversion devices. In this work, we synthesize hierarchical N-doped carbon microspheres with porous yolk-shell structure (NCYS) as a metal-free electrocatalyst toward efficient oxygen reduction through a template-free route. The enhanced oxygen reduction performances in both alkaline and acid media profit well from the porous yolk-shell structure as well as abundant nitrogen functional groups. Furthermore, such yolk-shell microspheres can be used as precursor materials to motivate the oxygen reduction activity of oxygen evolution oriented materials to obtain a desirable bi-functional electrocatalyst. To verify its practical utility, Zn-air battery tests are conducted and exhibit satisfactory performance, indicating that this constructed concept for preparation of bi-functional catalyst will afford a promising strategy for exploring novel metal-air battery electrocatalysts.

Development of an Instrument to Measure Students' Attitudes towards Piano Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umuzdas, Mehmet Serkan

2015-01-01

Practicing the piano is a systematic part of the instrument-learning process. It contains all development practices from the analysis of the work to the improvement of performance. Students usually practice the piano as a preparation for performing in courses, exams, or on stage and they do it individually. The mentality which emerges during the…

Implementation of Patient Decision Support Interventions in Primary Care: The Role of Relational Coordination.

PubMed

Tietbohl, Caroline K; Rendle, Katharine A S; Halley, Meghan C; May, Suepattra G; Lin, Grace A; Frosch, Dominick L

2015-11-01

The benefits of patient decision support interventions (DESIs) have been well documented. However, DESIs remain difficult to incorporate into clinical practice. Relational coordination (RC) has been shown to improve performance and quality of care in health care settings. This study aims to demonstrate how applying RC theory to DESI implementation could elucidate underlying issues limiting widespread uptake. Five primary care clinics in Northern California participated in a DESI implementation project. We used a deductive thematic approach guided by behaviors outlined in RC theory to analyze qualitative data collected from ethnographic field notes documenting the implementation process and focus groups with health care professionals. We then systematically compared the qualitative findings with quantitative DESI distribution data. Based on DESI distribution rates, clinics were placed into 3 performance categories: high, middle, and low. Qualitative data illustrated how each clinic's performance related to RC behaviors. Consistent with RC theory, the high-performing clinic exhibited frequent, timely, and accurate communication and positive working relationships. The 3 middle-performing clinics exhibited high-quality communication within physician-staff teams but limited communication regarding DESI implementation across the clinic. The lowest-performing clinic was characterized by contentious relationships and inadequate communication. Limitations of the study include nonrandom selection of clinics and limited geographic diversity. In addition, ethnographic data collected documented only DESI implementation practices and not larger staff interactions contributing to RC. These findings suggest that a high level of RC within clinical settings may be a key component and facilitator of successful DESI implementation. Future attempts to integrate DESIs into clinical practice should consider incorporating interventions designed to increase positive RC behaviors as a potential means to improve uptake. © The Author(s) 2015.

Map Changes and Theme Evolution in Work Hours: A Co-Word Analysis

PubMed Central

Liu, Bei; Chen, Hong; Huang, Xinru

2018-01-01

(1) Background: Work hours are the basic carrier impacting employees’ work–life experience and organizational performance, and employees have greater anxiety in relation to work hours as new technology requires an increasingly faster work rhythm. However, scientific research on this topic lags far behind the practice, calling to attention the need for research on work hours from the perspective of historical evolution; (2) Methods: The Bibliometric method is used to analyze the 6364 articles and their contained 77 high-frequency keywords related to work hours from the Web of Science published between 1901 and 2017. Additionally, an individual–organization–society integrative perspective was adopted to describe the map changes and theme evolution of work hours; (3) Results and conclusions: The hot spots of research at the organizational level changed significantly around 1990, with the theme of “long work hours” becoming the core issue in recent years. Studies on the individual level have gradually moved from physiological aspects to the issues of burnout and psychological distress. Research topics related to the social level are somewhat loose, and mainly focused on work–life conflict areas. In addition, the cluster analysis based on the high-frequency keywords classifies six research types according to their research themes. Based on these findings, future trends are proposed to provide theoretical and practical reference for future studies. PMID:29789455

An empirical assessment of high-performing medical groups: results from a national study.

PubMed

Shortell, Stephen M; Schmittdiel, Julie; Wang, Margaret C; Li, Rui; Gillies, Robin R; Casalino, Lawrence P; Bodenheimer, Thomas; Rundall, Thomas G

2005-08-01

The performance of medical groups is receiving increased attention. Relatively little conceptual or empirical work exists that examines the various dimensions of medical group performance. Using a national database of 693 medical groups, this article develops a scorecard approach to assessing group performance and presents a theory-driven framework for differentiating between high-performing versus low-performing medical groups. The clinical quality of care, financial performance, and organizational learning capability of medical groups are assessed in relation to environmental forces, resource acquisition and resource deployment factors, and a quality-centered culture. Findings support the utility of the performance scorecard approach and identification of a number of key factors differentiating high-performing from low-performing groups including, in particular, the importance of a quality-centered culture and the requirement of outside reporting from third party organizations. The findings hold a number of important implications for policy and practice, and the framework presented provides a foundation for future research.

Iranian pharmacists' knowledge, attitude and practice regarding counterfeit drugs.

PubMed

Shahverdi, Shieda; Hajimiri, Mirhamed; Pourmalek, Farshad; Torkamandi, Hassan; Gholami, Kheirollah; Hanafi, Somayeh; Ashrafi Shahmirzadi, Nikinaz; Javadi, Mohammadreza

2012-01-01

Background Awareness of pharmacists about counterfeit drugs is necessary for health improvement in community. The purpose of the present study is to assess the knowledge and measure the professional attitude and practice of Iranian pharmacist about counterfeit drugs. In August 2008, a knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) study was performed in a national sample of 794 pharmacists who participated in an Iranian Pharmacist Association congress. A questionnaire was prepared to collect Demographic and professional characteristics, Knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacists regarding counterfeit drugs. The mean percent of participants who answer each practice questions correctly is 13.62% and none of questions have more than 14.7% of correct answer, while the participants' attitude towards the subject is at high level. None of demographic factors represented a significant relationship with knowledge and the only related parameters with attitude, were age and gender. Increasing age of pharmacists resulted in attitude improvement (p = 0.013) and women›s attitudes were better than men (p = 0.05).The only related parameters with practice, were the number of working hours per a week and attitude. Increasing the number of working hours per a week, resulted in decreasing the desirable practice (p = 0.041) and attitude also had a direct relationship with practice (p = 0.011). Conclusion The most important finding in the present study was the pharmacists› low knowledge and practice level about counterfeit drugs, while their attitude towards this subject was at a high level. The results point out the need for designing and implementing educational programs.

Individual reactions to high involvement work processes: investigating the role of empowerment and perceived organizational support.

PubMed

Butts, Marcus M; Vandenberg, Robert J; DeJoy, David M; Schaffer, Bryan S; Wilson, Mark G

2009-04-01

This study sought to understand how high involvement work processes (HIWP) are processed at the employee level. Using structural equation modeling techniques, the authors tested and supported a model in which psychological empowerment mediated the effects of HIWP on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job performance, and job stress. Furthermore, perceived organizational support (POS) was hypothesized to moderate the relationships between empowerment and these outcomes. With exception for the empowerment-job satisfaction association, support was found for our predictions. Future directions for research and the practical implications of our findings for both employees and organizations are discussed.

Review of Manganese Processing for Production of TRIP/TWIP Steels, Part 1: Current Practice and Processing Fundamentals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, R.; Coley, K.; Mostaghel, S.; Barati, M.

2018-02-01

The increasing demand for high-performance steel alloys has led to development of transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) and twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) alloys over the past three decades. These alloys offer exceptional combinations of high tensile strength and ductility. Thus, the mechanical behavior of these alloys has been a subject of significant work in recent years. However, the challenge of economically providing Mn in the quantity and purity required by these alloys has received considerably less attention. To enable commercial implementation of ultrahigh-Mn alloys, it is desirable to lower the high material costs associated with their production. Therefore, the present work reviews Mn processing routes in the context of the chemical requirements of these alloys. The aim of this review is to assess the current state of the art regarding reduction of manganese ores and provide a comprehensive reference for researchers working to mitigate material processing costs associated with Mn production. The review is presented in two parts: Part 1 introduces TRIP and TWIP alloys, current industrial practice, and pertinent thermodynamic fundamentals; Part 2 addresses available literature regarding reduction of Mn ores and oxides, and seeks to identify opportunities for future process development.

The development and evaluation of a medical imaging training immersive environment

PubMed Central

Bridge, Pete; Gunn, Therese; Kastanis, Lazaros; Pack, Darren; Rowntree, Pamela; Starkey, Debbie; Mahoney, Gaynor; Berry, Clare; Braithwaite, Vicki; Wilson-Stewart, Kelly

2014-01-01

Introduction A novel realistic 3D virtual reality (VR) application has been developed to allow medical imaging students at Queensland University of Technology to practice radiographic techniques independently outside the usual radiography laboratory. Methods A flexible agile development methodology was used to create the software rapidly and effectively. A 3D gaming environment and realistic models were used to engender presence in the software while tutor-determined gold standards enabled students to compare their performance and learn in a problem-based learning pedagogy. Results Students reported high levels of satisfaction and perceived value and the software enabled up to 40 concurrent users to prepare for clinical practice. Student feedback also indicated that they found 3D to be of limited value in the desktop version compared to the usual 2D approach. A randomised comparison between groups receiving software-based and traditional practice measured performance in a formative role play with real equipment. The results of this work indicated superior performance with the equipment for the VR trained students (P = 0.0366) and confirmed the value of VR for enhancing 3D equipment-based problem-solving skills. Conclusions Students practising projection techniques virtually performed better at role play assessments than students practising in a traditional radiography laboratory only. The application particularly helped with 3D equipment configuration, suggesting that teaching 3D problem solving is an ideal use of such medical equipment simulators. Ongoing development work aims to establish the role of VR software in preparing students for clinical practice with a range of medical imaging equipment. PMID:26229652

The Vanderbilt Professional Nursing Practice Program: part 1: Growing and supporting professional nursing practice.

PubMed

Robinson, Karen; Eck, Carol; Keck, Becky; Wells, Nancy

2003-09-01

Professional practice programs are designed to attract, retain, and reward nurses. This three-part series will describe Vanderbilt's performance-based career advancement system, the Vanderbilt Professional Nursing Practice Program (VPNPP). Part 1 outlines the overall program's foundation, philosophical background, and basic structure. The VPNPP is built upon Benner's work, distinguishing among four levels of practice: novice, competent, proficient, and expert. Work by many in the organization identified the expected behaviors for nurses at each level, which were then used to develop clear process evaluation criteria. Part 2 will examine the performance measurement and evaluation system created to support the program. The process of advancing within the program will be described in part 3.

A High Performance Lithium-Ion Capacitor with Both Electrodes Prepared from Sri Lanka Graphite Ore.

PubMed

Gao, Xiaoyu; Zhan, Changzhen; Yu, Xiaoliang; Liang, Qinghua; Lv, Ruitao; Gai, Guosheng; Shen, Wanci; Kang, Feiyu; Huang, Zheng-Hong

2017-04-14

The natural Sri Lanka graphite (vein graphite) is widely-used as anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), due to its high crystallinity and low cost. In this work, graphitic porous carbon (GPC) and high-purity vein graphite (PVG) were prepared from Sri Lanka graphite ore by KOH activation, and high temperature purification, respectively. Furthermore, a lithium-ion capacitor (LIC) is fabricated with GPC as cathode, and PVG as anode. The assembled GPC//PVG LIC shows a notable electrochemical performance with a maximum energy density of 86 W·h·kg -1 at 150 W·kg -1 , and 48 W·h·kg -1 at a high-power density of 7.4 kW·kg -1 . This high-performance LIC based on PVG and GPC is believed to be promising for practical applications, due to its low-cost raw materials and industrially feasible production.

A High Performance Lithium-Ion Capacitor with Both Electrodes Prepared from Sri Lanka Graphite Ore

PubMed Central

Gao, Xiaoyu; Zhan, Changzhen; Yu, Xiaoliang; Liang, Qinghua; Lv, Ruitao; Gai, Guosheng; Shen, Wanci; Kang, Feiyu; Huang, Zheng-Hong

2017-01-01

The natural Sri Lanka graphite (vein graphite) is widely-used as anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), due to its high crystallinity and low cost. In this work, graphitic porous carbon (GPC) and high-purity vein graphite (PVG) were prepared from Sri Lanka graphite ore by KOH activation, and high temperature purification, respectively. Furthermore, a lithium-ion capacitor (LIC) is fabricated with GPC as cathode, and PVG as anode. The assembled GPC//PVG LIC shows a notable electrochemical performance with a maximum energy density of 86 W·h·kg−1 at 150 W·kg−1, and 48 W·h·kg−1 at a high-power density of 7.4 kW·kg−1. This high-performance LIC based on PVG and GPC is believed to be promising for practical applications, due to its low-cost raw materials and industrially feasible production. PMID:28772773

Flourishing-at-Work: The Role of Positive Organizational Practices.

PubMed

Redelinghuys, Kleinjan; Rothmann, Sebastiaan; Botha, Elrie

2018-01-01

The first aim of the study was to investigate the effects of flourishing at work (as measured by the Flourishing-at-Work Scale-Short Form) on intention to leave, performance, and organizational citizenship behavior. The second aim was to determine the prevalence of workplace flourishing and to examine differences in the perceived flourishing levels of teachers based on the positive practices they experience in their organization. A sample of 258 secondary school educators in the Gauteng province of South Africa was used in the cross-sectional design. The Flourishing-at-Work Scale-Short Form, Turnover Intention Scale, In-Role Behavior Scale, Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale, and the Positive Practices Questionnaire were administered. The results showed acceptable psychometric properties for the short scale which measures flourishing. Workplace flourishing negatively predicted intention to leave, while positively predicting in-role performance and organizational citizenship behavior. A total of 44.19% of the population flourished, while 49.22% were moderately mentally healthy and 6.59% languished. Positive organizational practices were associated with flourishing at work.

Simultaneous generation of high-efficiency broadband asymmetric anomalous refraction and reflection waves with few-layer anisotropic metasurface

PubMed Central

Li, Zhancheng; Liu, Wenwei; Cheng, Hua; Liu, Jieying; Chen, Shuqi; Tian, Jianguo

2016-01-01

Optical metasurfaces consisting of single-layer nanostructures have immensely promising applications in wavefront control because they can be used to arbitrarily manipulate wave phase, and polarization. However, anomalous refraction and reflection waves have not yet been simultaneously and asymmetrically generated, and the limited efficiency and bandwidth of pre-existing single-layer metasurfaces hinder their practical applications. Here, a few-layer anisotropic metasurface is presented for simultaneously generating high-efficiency broadband asymmetric anomalous refraction and reflection waves. Moreover, the normal transmission and reflection waves are low and the anomalous waves are the predominant ones, which is quite beneficial for practical applications such as beam deflectors. Our work provides an effective method of enhancing the performance of anomalous wave generation, and the asymmetric performance of the proposed metasurface shows endless possibilities in wavefront control for nanophotonics device design and optical communication applications. PMID:27762286

Information or resolution: Which is required from an SEM to study bulk inorganic materials?: Evaluate SEMs’ practical performance

DOE PAGES

Xing, Q.

2016-07-11

Significant technological advances in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been achieved over the past years. Different SEMs can have significant differences in functionality and performance. This work presents the perspectives on selecting an SEM for research on bulk inorganic materials. Understanding materials demands quantitative composition and orientation information, and informative and interpretable images that reveal subtle differences in chemistry, orientation/structure, topography, and electronic structure. The capability to yield informative and interpretable images with high signal-to-noise ratios and spatial resolutions is an overall result of the SEM system as a whole, from the electron optical column to the detection system. Themore » electron optical column determines probe performance. The roles of the detection system are to capture, filter or discriminate, and convert signal electrons to imaging information. The capability to control practical operating parameters including electron probe size and current, acceleration voltage or landing voltage, working distance, detector selection, and signal filtration is inherently determined by the SEM itself. As a platform for various accessories, e.g. an energydispersive spectrometer and an electron backscatter diffraction detector, the properties of the electron optical column, specimen chamber, and stage greatly affect the performance of accessories. Ease-of-use and ease-of-maintenance are of practical importance. It is practically important to select appropriate test specimens, design suitable imaging conditions, and analyze the specimen chamber geometry and dimensions to assess the overall functionality and performance of an SEM. Finally, for an SEM that is controlled/operated with a computer, the stable software and user-friendly interface significantly affect the usability of the SEM.« less

Information or resolution: Which is required from an SEM to study bulk inorganic materials?: Evaluate SEMs’ practical performance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xing, Q.

Significant technological advances in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been achieved over the past years. Different SEMs can have significant differences in functionality and performance. This work presents the perspectives on selecting an SEM for research on bulk inorganic materials. Understanding materials demands quantitative composition and orientation information, and informative and interpretable images that reveal subtle differences in chemistry, orientation/structure, topography, and electronic structure. The capability to yield informative and interpretable images with high signal-to-noise ratios and spatial resolutions is an overall result of the SEM system as a whole, from the electron optical column to the detection system. Themore » electron optical column determines probe performance. The roles of the detection system are to capture, filter or discriminate, and convert signal electrons to imaging information. The capability to control practical operating parameters including electron probe size and current, acceleration voltage or landing voltage, working distance, detector selection, and signal filtration is inherently determined by the SEM itself. As a platform for various accessories, e.g. an energydispersive spectrometer and an electron backscatter diffraction detector, the properties of the electron optical column, specimen chamber, and stage greatly affect the performance of accessories. Ease-of-use and ease-of-maintenance are of practical importance. It is practically important to select appropriate test specimens, design suitable imaging conditions, and analyze the specimen chamber geometry and dimensions to assess the overall functionality and performance of an SEM. Finally, for an SEM that is controlled/operated with a computer, the stable software and user-friendly interface significantly affect the usability of the SEM.« less

Structural relationships between work environment and service quality perceptions as a function of customer contact intensity: implications for human service strategy.

PubMed

Scotti, Dennis J; Harmon, Joel; Behson, Scott J

2009-01-01

This study assesses the importance of customer-contact intensity at the service encounter level as a determinant of service quality assessments. Using data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, it shows that performance-driven human resources practices play an important role as determinants of employee customer orientation and service capability in both high-contact (outpatient healthcare) and low-contact (benefits claim processing) human service contexts. However, there existed significant differences across service delivery settings in the salience of customer orientation and the congruence between employee and customer perceptions of service quality, depending on the intensity of customer contact. In both contexts, managerial attention to high-performance work systems and customer-orientation has the potential to favorably impact perceptions of service quality, amplify consumer satisfaction, and enhance operational efficiency.

Understanding work contextual factors: a short-cut to evidence-based practice?

PubMed

Wallin, Lars; Ewald, Uwe; Wikblad, Karin; Scott-Findlay, Shannon; Arnetz, Bengt B

2006-01-01

It has become increasingly clear that workplace contextual factors make an important contribution to provider and patient outcomes. The potential for health care professionals of using research in practice is also linked to such factors, although the exact factors or mechanisms for enhancing this potential are not understood. From a perspective of implementing evidence-based nursing practice, the authors of this article report on a study examining contextual factors. The objective of this study was to identify predictors of organizational improvement by measuring staff perceptions of work contextual factors. The Quality Work Competence questionnaire was used in a repeated measurement survey with a 1-year break between the two periods of data collection. The sample consisted of 134 employees from four neonatal units in Sweden. Over the study period significant changes occurred among staff perceptions, both within and between units, on various factors. Changes in staff perceptions on skills development and participatory management were the major predictors of enhanced potential of overall organizational improvement. Perceived improvement in skills development and performance feedback predicted improvement in leadership. Change in commitment was predicted by perceived decreases in work tempo and work-related exhaustion. These findings indicate the potential for organizational improvement by developing a learning and supportive professional environment as well as by involving staff in decision-making at the unit level. Such initiatives are also likely to be of importance for enhanced use of research in practice and evidence-based nursing. On the other hand, high levels of work tempo and burnout appear to have negative consequences on staff commitment for improving care and the work environment. A better understanding of workplace contextual factors is necessary for improving the organizational potential of getting research into practice and should be considered in future implementation projects.

Fundamental contradictions in cultural competence.

PubMed

Johnson, Yvonne M; Munch, Shari

2009-07-01

Cultural competence (CC) is considered highly relevant to social work practice with clients belonging to ethnic and racial minority groups, as the burgeoning literature and creation of practice standards on CC attest. However, examination of the conceptual underpinnings of CC reveals several major anomalies. The authors argue that several aspects of CC contradict central social work concepts or are at odds with current, standard social work practice. These contradictions extend to the epistemological foundations of CC and the rights and dignity of the individual. To further stress the conceptual tensions at the heart of CC, the authors incorporate recent philosophical work addressing collective identities and group rights. The question of whether culturally competent practice is achievable is also addressed. The authors urge academicians and practitioners to thoroughly examine the theoretical and ethical bases of CC because of their highly important ramifications for social work practice.

78 FR 38735 - Autopsy Performance Criteria: Standards, Guidelines and Best Practices

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-27

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Office of Justice Programs [OJP (NIJ) Docket No. 1626] Autopsy Performance... Working Group for Medicolegal Death Investigation will make available to the general public a document entitled, ``Autopsy Performance Criteria: Standards, Guidelines and Best Practices''. The opportunity to...

High-Performance Work Practices: A Case Study Using the Phenomenological Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

floater ” that moves from shop to shop. Another shop expressed desires to instate such a program once the youngest airmen catch up on their training...there actually in 3E6 jobs? Yes, the only exception is one position we’re doing. We call it a floater . They go to the individual shops and do the

Managing the Action/Reflection Polarity Through Dialogue: A Path to Transformative Learning. NALL Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laiken, Marilyn E.

At the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Ontario, a course entitled Developing and Leading High Performing Teams: Theory and Practice is experimenting with a design that surfaces the action/reflection paradox for the purpose of learning how to manage this polarity. Whether the product is defined as services or goods,…

Identifying Strategies to Decrease Overtime, Absenteeism and Agency Use: Insights from Healthcare Leaders.

PubMed

Jeffs, Lianne; Grinspun, Doris; Closson, Tom; Mainville, Marie-Claude

2015-09-01

Working overtime, absenteeism and agency use can negatively impact working environments, the health of staff and patient outcomes, and increase healthcare costs. The purpose of this study was to explore how healthcare leaders in Ontario hospitals implement and sustain best practices that advance workforce stability within their organization. Qualitative study design using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Participants included 23 healthcare leaders from 16 hospital sites. Two main themes emerged: (1) enacting proactive human resource practices and (2) having strong, caring and strategic leaders that create learning and supportive work environments. A number of sub-themes identified were reported through narratives stratified according to size (small/large) and performance (low/high) of each site. Insights gained from this study may offer healthcare leaders strategies to maximize the nursing workforce and minimize overtime, absenteeism and agency use to ensure safe, efficient and quality healthcare. Copyright © 2015 Longwoods Publishing.

Uncovering and Explaining Variance in the Features and Outcomes of Contingent Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lautsch, Brenda A.

2002-01-01

Internal labor market theory and data from two case studies were used to construct four models of contingent work (integration, seasonal, separation, two tier) with different performance objectives, technology, work practices, and worker outcomes. Each model involved practices related to job descriptions, wage, rules, and career ladders that…

Evaluation of non-selective refocusing pulses for 7 T MRI

PubMed Central

Moore, Jay; Jankiewicz, Marcin; Anderson, Adam W.; Gore, John C.

2011-01-01

There is a continuing need for improved RF pulses that achieve proper refocusing in the context of ultra-high field (≥ 7 T) human MRI. Simple block or sinc pulses are highly susceptible to RF field inhomogeneities, and adiabatic pulses are generally considered too SAR intensive for practical use at 7 T. The performance of the array of pulses falling between these extremes, however, has not been systematically evaluated. The aim of this work was to compare the performances of 21 non-selective refocusing pulses spanning a range of durations and SAR levels. The evaluation was based upon simulations and both phantom and in vivo human brain experiments conducted at 7 T. Tested refocusing designs included block, composite block, BIR-4, hyperbolic secant, and numerically optimized composite waveforms. These pulses were divided into three SAR classes and two duration categories, and, based on signal gain in a 3-D spin echo sequence, practical recommendations on usage are made within each category. All evaluated pulses were found to produce greater volume-averaged signals relative to a 180° block pulse. Although signal gains often come with the price of increased SAR or duration, some pulses were found to result in significant signal enhancement while also adhering to practical constraints. This work demonstrates the signal gains and losses realizable with single-channel refocusing pulse designs and should assist in the selection of suitable refocusing pulses for practical 3-D spin-echo imaging at 7 T. It further establishes a reference against which future pulses and multi-channel designs can be compared. PMID:22177384

Self-aligned photolithography for the fabrication of fully transparent high-voltage devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yonghui; Mei, Zengxia; Huo, Wenxing; Wang, Tao; Liang, Huili; Du, Xiaolong

2018-05-01

High-voltage devices, working in the range of hundreds of volts, are indispensable elements in the driving or readout circuits for various kinds of displays, integrated microelectromechanical systems and x-ray imaging sensors. However, the device performances are found hardly uniform or repeatable due to the misalignment issue, which are extremely common for offset drain high-voltage devices. To resolve this issue, this article reports a set of self-aligned photolithography technology for the fabrication of high-voltage devices. High-performance fully-transparent high-voltage thin film transistors, diodes and logic inverters are successfully fabricated with this technology. Unlike other self-aligned routes, opaque masks are introduced on the backside of the transparent substrate to facilitate proximity exposure method. The photolithography process is simulated and analyzed with technology computer aided design simulation to explain the working principle of the proximity exposure method. The substrate thickness is found to be vital for the implementation of this technology based on both simulation and experimental results. The electrical performance of high-voltage devices is dependent on the offset length, which can be delicately modulated by changing the exposure dose. The presented self-aligned photolithography technology is proved to be feasible in high-voltage circuits, demonstrating its huge potential in practical industrial applications.

GREEN + IDMaps: A practical soulution for ensuring fairness in a biased internet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kapadia, A. C.; Thulasidasan, S.; Feng, W. C.

2002-01-01

GREEN is a proactive queue-management (PQM) algorithm that removes TCP's bias against connections with longer round-trip times, while maintaining high link utilization and low packet-loss. GREEN applies knowledge of the steady-state behavior of TCP connections to proactively drop packets, thus preventing congestion from ever occurring. As a result, GREEN ensures much higher fairness between flows than other active queue management schemes like Flow Random Early Drop (FRED) and Stochastic Fair Blue (SFB), which suffer in topologies where a large number of flows have widely varying round-trip times. GREEN'S performance relies on its ability to gauge a flow's round-trip time (RTT).more » In previous work, we presented results for an ideal GREEN router which has accurate RTT information for a flow. In this paper, we present a practical solution based on IDMaps, an Internet distance-estimation service, and compare its performance to an ideal GREEN router. We show that a solution based on IDMaps is practical and maintains high fairness and link utilization, and low packet-loss rates.« less

The Effect of an Acute Bout of Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Exercise on Motor Learning of a Continuous Tracking Task

PubMed Central

Snow, Nicholas J.; Mang, Cameron S.; Roig, Marc; Boyd, Lara A.

2016-01-01

Introduction There is evidence for beneficial effects of acute and long-term exercise interventions on several forms of memory, including procedural motor learning. In the present study we examined how performing a single bout of continuous moderate intensity aerobic exercise would impact motor skill acquisition and retention in young healthy adults, compared to a period of rest. We hypothesized that exercise would improve motor skill acquisition and retention, compared to motor practice alone. Materials and Methods Sixteen healthy adults completed sessions of aerobic exercise or seated rest that were immediately followed by practice of a novel motor task (practice). Exercise consisted of 30 minutes of continuous cycling at 60% peak O2 uptake. Twenty-four hours after practice, we assessed motor learning with a no-exercise retention test (retention). We also quantified changes in offline motor memory consolidation, which occurred between practice and retention (offline). Tracking error was separated into indices of temporal precision and spatial accuracy. Results There were no differences between conditions in the timing of movements during practice (p = 0.066), at retention (p = 0.761), or offline (p = 0.966). However, the exercise condition enabled participants to maintain spatial accuracy during practice (p = 0.477); whereas, following rest performance diminished (p = 0.050). There were no significant differences between conditions at retention (p = 0.532) or offline (p = 0.246). Discussion An acute bout of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise facilitated the maintenance of motor performance during skill acquisition, but did not influence motor learning. Given past work showing that pairing high intensity exercise with skilled motor practice benefits learning, it seems plausible that intensity is a key modulator of the effects of acute aerobic exercise on changes in complex motor behavior. Further work is necessary to establish a dose-response relationship between aerobic exercise and motor learning. PMID:26901664

The Effectiveness of Practical Work in Lower Secondary School Mathematics: A Cultural Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Triadafillidis, T. A.

1996-01-01

Discusses reasons why practical work is used only sporadically in lower secondary school math classes. Presents results of a comparative study between Greece and Scotland, focusing on culture as a differentiating factor of students' performance. (AIM)

Association of Practice-Level Social and Medical Risk With Performance in the Medicare Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier Program

PubMed Central

Epstein, Arnold M.; Orav, E. John; Filice, Clara E.; Samson, Lok Wong; Joynt Maddox, Karen E.

2017-01-01

Importance Medicare recently launched the Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier (PVBM) Program, a mandatory pay-for-performance program for physician practices. Little is known about performance by practices that serve socially or medically high-risk patients. Objective To compare performance in the PVBM Program by practice characteristics. Design, Setting, and Participants Cross-sectional observational study using PVBM Program data for payments made in 2015 based on performance of large US physician practices caring for fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in 2013. Exposures High social risk (defined as practices in the top quartile of proportion of patients dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid) and high medical risk (defined as practices in the top quartile of mean Hierarchical Condition Category risk score among fee-for-service beneficiaries). Main Outcomes and Measures Quality and cost z scores based on a composite of individual measures. Higher z scores reflect better performance on quality; lower scores, better performance on costs. Results Among 899 physician practices with 5 189 880 beneficiaries, 547 practices were categorized as low risk (neither high social nor high medical risk) (mean, 7909 beneficiaries; mean, 320 clinicians), 128 were high medical risk only (mean, 3675 beneficiaries; mean, 370 clinicians), 102 were high social risk only (mean, 1635 beneficiaries; mean, 284 clinicians), and 122 were high medical and social risk (mean, 1858 beneficiaries; mean, 269 clinicians). Practices categorized as low risk performed the best on the composite quality score (z score, 0.18 [95% CI, 0.09 to 0.28]) compared with each of the practices categorized as high risk (high medical risk only: z score, −0.55 [95% CI, −0.77 to −0.32]; high social risk only: z score, −0.86 [95% CI, −1.17 to −0.54]; and high medical and social risk: −0.78 [95% CI, −1.04 to −0.51]) (P < .001 across groups). Practices categorized as high social risk only performed the best on the composite cost score (z score, −0.52 [95% CI, −0.71 to −0.33]), low risk had the next best cost score (z score, −0.18 [95% CI, −0.25 to −0.10]), then high medical and social risk (z score, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.23 to 0.57]), and then high medical risk only (z score, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.65 to 0.99]) (P < .001 across groups). Total per capita costs were $9506 for practices categorized as low risk, $13 683 for high medical risk only, $8214 for high social risk only, and $11 692 for high medical and social risk. These patterns were associated with fewer bonuses and more penalties for high-risk practices. Conclusions and Relevance During the first year of the Medicare Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier Program, physician practices that served more socially high-risk patients had lower quality and lower costs, and practices that served more medically high-risk patients had lower quality and higher costs. PMID:28763549

Embracing "Soft Skill" Diversity in the Workplace (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, T.

2010-12-01

Embracing "Soft Skill" Diversity in the Workplace Terri Thomas, Sr. Director Global Customer Support ShoreTel INRODUCTION Truly successful diversity programs go beyond gender, age, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation and spiritual practice. They include diversity of thought, style, leadership and communication styles, the so called “soft skills”. The increasing need for global workforces is stronger than ever and high performance teams have fully embraced, successfully harnessed and put into practice robust diversity programs than include a “soft skill” focus. Managing diversity presents significant organizational challenges, and is not an easy task, particularly in organizations that are heavily weighted with highly technical professionals such as engineers, accountants etc.. The focus of this presentation is on leveraging the “Soft Skills” diversity in technical work environments to create high performance and highly productive teams. WHY DIVERSITY and WHY NOW? Due to increasing changes in the U.S. population, in order to stay competitive, companies need to focus on diversity and look for ways to become inclusive organizations because diversity has the potential of yielding greater productivity and competitive advantages . Managing and valuing diversity is a key component of effective people management, which can improve workplace productivity (Black Enterprise, 2001). Changing demographics, from organizational restructuring, women in the workplace, equal opportunity legislation and other legal issues, are forcing organizations to become more aggressive in implementing robust diversity practices. However, YOU do not need to wait for your organization to introduce a formal “Diversity” program. There are steps you can take to introduce diversity into your own workgroups. There is no “one single answer” to solve this issue, however this discussion will provide thought provoking ideas, examples of success and failure and a starting point for you to implement “soft skill” diversity practices in your work environment. Most workplaces are made up of many aspects of diversity already so why not embrace it and use it to your competitive advantage.

Managing hospital doctors and their practice: what can we learn about human resource management from non-healthcare organisations?

PubMed

Trebble, Timothy M; Heyworth, Nicola; Clarke, Nicholas; Powell, Timothy; Hockey, Peter M

2014-11-21

Improved management of clinicians' time and practice is advocated to address increasing demands on healthcare provision in the UK National Health Service (NHS). Human resource management (HRM) is associated with improvements in organisational performance and outcomes within and outside of healthcare, but with limited use in managing individual clinicians. This may reflect the absence of effective and transferrable models. The current systems of managing the performance of individual clinicians in a secondary healthcare organisation were reviewed through the study of practice in 10 successful partnership organisations, including knowledge worker predominant, within commercial, public and voluntary sector operating environments. Reciprocal visits to the secondary healthcare environment were undertaken. Six themes in performance related HRM were identified across the external organisations representing best practice and considered transferrable to managing clinicians in secondary care organisations. These included: performance measurement through defined outcomes at the team level with decision making through local data interpretation; performance improvement through empowered formal leadership with organisational support; individual performance review (IPR); and reward, recognition and talent management. The role of the executive was considered essential to support and implement effective HRM, with management of staff performance, behaviour and development integrated into organisational strategy, including through the use of universally applied values and effective communication. These approaches reflected many of the key aspects of high performance work systems and strategic HRM. There is the potential to develop systems of HRM of individual clinicians in secondary healthcare to improve practice. This should include both performance measurement and performance improvement but also engagement at an organisational level. This suggests that effective HRM and performance management of individual clinicians may be possible but requires an alternative approach for the NHS.

Fully Automated Driving: Impact of Trust and Practice on Manual Control Recovery.

PubMed

Payre, William; Cestac, Julien; Delhomme, Patricia

2016-03-01

An experiment was performed in a driving simulator to investigate the impacts of practice, trust, and interaction on manual control recovery (MCR) when employing fully automated driving (FAD). To increase the use of partially or highly automated driving efficiency and to improve safety, some studies have addressed trust in driving automation and training, but few studies have focused on FAD. FAD is an autonomous system that has full control of a vehicle without any need for intervention by the driver. A total of 69 drivers with a valid license practiced with FAD. They were distributed evenly across two conditions: simple practice and elaborate practice. When examining emergency MCR, a correlation was found between trust and reaction time in the simple practice group (i.e., higher trust meant a longer reaction time), but not in the elaborate practice group. This result indicated that to mitigate the negative impact of overtrust on reaction time, more appropriate practice may be needed. Drivers should be trained in how the automated device works so as to improve MCR performance in case of an emergency. The practice format used in this study could be used for the first interaction with an FAD car when acquiring such a vehicle. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Implementing the Data Center Energy Productivity Metric in a High Performance Computing Data Center

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sego, Landon H.; Marquez, Andres; Rawson, Andrew

2013-06-30

As data centers proliferate in size and number, the improvement of their energy efficiency and productivity has become an economic and environmental imperative. Making these improvements requires metrics that are robust, interpretable, and practical. We discuss the properties of a number of the proposed metrics of energy efficiency and productivity. In particular, we focus on the Data Center Energy Productivity (DCeP) metric, which is the ratio of useful work produced by the data center to the energy consumed performing that work. We describe our approach for using DCeP as the principal outcome of a designed experiment using a highly instrumented,more » high-performance computing data center. We found that DCeP was successful in clearly distinguishing different operational states in the data center, thereby validating its utility as a metric for identifying configurations of hardware and software that would improve energy productivity. We also discuss some of the challenges and benefits associated with implementing the DCeP metric, and we examine the efficacy of the metric in making comparisons within a data center and between data centers.« less

Spreadsheet as a motivational tool in learning and professional development in Agricultural Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medina, Silvia; Moratiel, Ruben; Tarquis, Ana Maria; María Durán, Jose

2013-04-01

For the past few decades, Spanish universities have been introduced gradually, the use of so-called New Technologies in the classroom. This is because its use contributes to improve outcomes in education at all levels. In this sense, it helps not only to expand knowledge as in traditional education, but teaches students to learn and encouraged them to be more independent, to develop and apply their knowledge in practice, their future employment use. The aim of this paper is to analyse the educational content and the degree of satisfaction students get through the use of a spreadsheet program to perform various practices of Agricultural Engineers courses of the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Weekly, the professor poses a practice with a detailed explanation of what is required and students have the opportunity to submit as many times as they want, over two weeks, the work developed. Students are encouraged to undertake individual work and to submit in the same day the exercise done because earlier is the presentation of results more opportunities to correct the mistakes. Regardless of students' knowledge on Excel, the professor explains each one of the Excel resources to be employed in the presented practice. Then, they have the opportunity to ask about them avoiding the scenario of not performing the practice due to ignore some Excel resources. The number of practices that are performed per year depend on the hours / credits that are assigned to each subject. On the other hand, to check the degree of student satisfaction with these practices, a anonymous questionnaire was performed consisting of 15 questions that can be grouped into four categories: consolidation of knowledge (4 questions), practice organization (7 questions), following indications (2 questions) and knowledge of Excel (2 questions). Results show high degree of students' satisfaction in their learning process and their applicability in the future. Acknowledgments Funded provided by educational innovation projects "Training of mentors' students in different subjects in the first degree and postgraduate ETSI Agrónomos" and "Students mentoring system in undergraduate and graduate courses at ETS Ingenieros Agrónomos" given by UPM are gratefully appreciated.

Organizational culture and a safety-conscious work environment: The mediating role of employee communication satisfaction.

PubMed

Silla, Inmaculada; Navajas, Joaquin; Koves, G Kenneth

2017-06-01

A safety-conscious work environment allows high-reliability organizations to be proactive regarding safety and enables employees to feel free to report any concern without fear of retaliation. Currently, research on the antecedents to safety-conscious work environments is scarce. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the mediating role of employee communication satisfaction in the relationship between constructive culture and a safety-conscious work environment in several nuclear power plants. Employee communication satisfaction partially mediated the positive relationships between a constructive culture and a safety-conscious work environment. Constructive cultures in which cooperation, supportive relationships, individual growth and high performance are encouraged facilitate the establishment of a safety-conscious work environment. This influence is partially explained by increased employee communication satisfaction. Constructive cultures should be encouraged within organizations. In addition, managers should promote communication policies and practices that support a safety-conscious work environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.

Comparative Analysis of the Approaches Used By Prospective Music Teachers in Turkey in Practicing the Piano Works of Contemporary Turkish Composers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sönmezöz, Feyza

2015-01-01

This study determined the levels of recognizing piano works of contemporary Turkish composers, the importance of practicing these works and difficulty in playing these works by the prospective music teachers in the Departments of Music Education in Turkey. Furthermore, this study performed a comparative analysis on the opinions of the prospective…

Teaching Strategies for Improving Algebra Knowledge in Middle and High School Students. Educator's Practice Guide. What Works Clearinghouse.™ NCEE 2015-4010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Star, Jon R.; Foegen, Anne; Larson, Matthew R.; McCallum, William G.; Porath, Jane; Zbiek, Rose Mary; Caronongan, Pia; Furgeson, Joshua,; Keating, Betsy; Lyskawa, Julia

2015-01-01

Mastering algebra is important for future math and postsecondary success. Educators will find practical recommendations for how to improve algebra instruction in the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide, "Teaching Strategies for Improving Algebra Knowledge in Middle and High School Students". The methods and examples included in…

The best of both worlds: a consideration of gender in team building.

PubMed

Rudan, Vincent T

2003-03-01

As teams continue to supplant individuals as the fundamental work unit, healthcare organizations increasingly are turning to high-performance care and service groups as keys to success. In this article, the author presents research and findings of an ethnographic case study of a mixed-gender work team of healthcare administrators. Focusing on gender issues and their impact on outcomes, the study offers insights for promoting cultural change and improving nursing practice systems that will influence health policy and support a new architecture for the healthcare industry.

[Exploring the prospects for general practitioners over 55 years old from three counties of western France].

PubMed

Robino, Stéphane; Buis, Hélène; Delansorne, Fanny; Tomas, Josiane; Huez, Jean-François; La Combe, Antoine; Fanello, Serge

2009-01-01

Medical demography and the practice of medicine will be influenced by the personal plans of GPs and their decisions to stop practicing in the coming years. This study aims to understand the events that could potentially worsen the medical demography in terms of shortages of GPs for primary care in the short term. 455 GPs (all aged over 55 years) practicing in three districts of western France were selected to participate in this prospective study. 258 valid and complete questionnaires (56%) were received. With the use of a special programme, SPSS version 1.5, an overall comprehensive analysis and one by geographical sub-regional groups were performed. When queried about their plans or wishes for their practice between the present time and their age of 65, of the responding physicians, 27% wanted to continue working under the same conditions, 10% were undecided, and 63% wanted to stop or adjust their professional activity before age 65. The main reasons and factors motivating these plans were their current time constraints, the workload related to administrative tasks and the continuity of care; moreover, GPs noted the demands and expectations of patients, professional burnout and difficulties in obtaining a healthy work-life balance as factors contributing to these plans. Physicians who wanted to stop practicing (30%) were the least satisfied with their work and seem to have anticipated this plan of action given that they reduced their number of hours in the office and on-call. Those who wish to adapt their work time (33%) are for the most part satisfied even if they work more, but 70% want to reduce their work hours. The impact of these projects is a potentially heavy one, especially since two of the counties concerned have a low medical density and high rate of practicing physicians. Government measures currently proposed do not seem to respond to the evolution of private practice expected by GPs over 55 years.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hong, Tao; Niu, Zhenbin; Hu, Xunxiang

The development of high performance materials for CO 2 separation and capture will significantly contribute to a solution for climate change. In this work, (bicycloheptenyl) ethyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMSPNB) membranes with varied cross-link densities were synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization. The developed polymer membranes show higher permeability and better selectivity than those of conventional cross-linked PDMS membrane. The achieved performance (CO 2 permeability ~ 6800 Barrer and CO 2/N 2 selectivity ~ 14) is very promising for practical applications. The key to achieving this high performance is the use of an in-situ cross-linking method of the difunctional PDMS macromonomers, whichmore » provides lightly cross-linked membranes. By combining positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, broadband dielectric spectroscopy and gas solubility measurements, we have elucidated the key parameters necessary for achieving their excellent performance.« less

Emotional intelligence and job performance: The mediating role of work-family balance.

PubMed

Weinzimmer, Laurence G; Baumann, Heidi M; Gullifor, Daniel P; Koubova, Veronika

2017-01-01

In this study, we examine the dynamics between emotional intelligence, work-family balance, and job performance. A review of the literature to date has shown distinct relationships between emotional intelligence to job performance and work-family balance to job performance. We utilize a sample of 233 respondents to empirically test our set of hypotheses that contend work-family balance mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance. Our results support these hypotheses. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Fatigue, Work Schedules, and Perceived Performance in Bedside Care Nurses.

PubMed

Sagherian, Knar; Clinton, Michael E; Abu-Saad Huijer, Huda; Geiger-Brown, Jeanne

2017-07-01

Hospital nurses are expected to maintain optimal work performance; yet, fatigue can threaten safe practice and result in unfavorable patient outcomes. This descriptive cross-sectional study explored the association between fatigue, work schedules, and perceived work performance among nurses. The study sample included 77 bedside nurses who were mostly female, single, and between 20 and 29 years of age. The majority worked 8-hour shifts and overtime. Nurses who worked during off days reported significantly higher chronic fatigue compared with those nurses who took time off. Nurses who reported feeling refreshed after sleep had significantly less chronic and acute fatigue and more intershift recovery. Nurses with acute and chronic fatigue perceived poorer physical performance. Also, nurses who reported chronic fatigue perceived they were less alert and less able to concentrate when providing patient care. Less effective communication was also associated with acute and chronic fatigue. In conclusion, fatigue has safety implications for nurses' practice that should be monitored by nursing management.

Developing collective customer knowledge and service climate: The interaction between service-oriented high-performance work systems and service leadership.

PubMed

Jiang, Kaifeng; Chuang, Chih-Hsun; Chiao, Yu-Ching

2015-07-01

This study theorized and examined the influence of the interaction between Service-Oriented high-performance work systems (HPWSs) and service leadership on collective customer knowledge and service climate. Using a sample of 569 employees and 142 managers in footwear retail stores, we found that Service-Oriented HPWSs and service leadership reduced the influences of one another on collective customer knowledge and service climate, such that the positive influence of service leadership on collective customer knowledge and service climate was stronger when Service-Oriented HPWSs were lower than when they were higher or the positive influence of Service-Oriented HPWSs on collective customer knowledge and service climate was stronger when service leadership was lower than when it was higher. We further proposed and found that collective customer knowledge and service climate were positively related to objective financial outcomes through service performance. Implications for the literature and managerial practices are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Can E-Learning Change Work Practices?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noesgaard, Signe Schack

2016-01-01

Stand-alone e-learning is unlikely to change work practices. This claim contrasts with a comprehensive body of research arguing that e-learning is at least as effective as face-to-face instruction in improving work performance. Such a comparison is, however, problematic. On the one hand, it relies on the premise that face-to-face instruction is…

Co3O4 nanoparticles decorated carbon nanofiber mat as binder-free air-cathode for high performance rechargeable zinc-air batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bing; Ge, Xiaoming; Goh, F. W. Thomas; Hor, T. S. Andy; Geng, Dongsheng; Du, Guojun; Liu, Zhaolin; Zhang, Jie; Liu, Xiaogang; Zong, Yun

2015-01-01

An efficient, durable and low cost air-cathode is essential for a high performance metal-air battery for practical applications. Herein, we report a composite bifunctional catalyst, Co3O4 nanoparticles-decorated carbon nanofibers (CNFs), working as an efficient air-cathode in high performance rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZnABs). The particles-on-fibers nanohybrid materials were derived from electrospun metal-ion containing polymer fibers followed by thermal carbonization and a post annealing process in air at a moderate temperature. Electrochemical studies suggest that the nanohybrid material effectively catalyzes oxygen reduction reaction via an ideal 4-electron transfer process and outperforms Pt/C in catalyzing oxygen evolution reactions. Accordingly, the prototype ZnABs exhibit a low discharge-charge voltage gap (e.g. 0.7 V, discharge-charge at 2 mA cm-2) with higher stability and longer cycle life compared to their counterparts constructed using Pt/C in air-cathode. Importantly, the hybrid nanofiber mat readily serves as an integrated air-cathode without the need of any further modification. Benefitting from its efficient catalytic activities and structural advantages, particularly the 3D architecture of highly conductive CNFs and the high loading density of strongly attached Co3O4 NPs on their surfaces, the resultant ZnABs show significantly improved performance with respect to the rate capability, cycling stability and current density, promising good potential in practical applications.An efficient, durable and low cost air-cathode is essential for a high performance metal-air battery for practical applications. Herein, we report a composite bifunctional catalyst, Co3O4 nanoparticles-decorated carbon nanofibers (CNFs), working as an efficient air-cathode in high performance rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZnABs). The particles-on-fibers nanohybrid materials were derived from electrospun metal-ion containing polymer fibers followed by thermal carbonization and a post annealing process in air at a moderate temperature. Electrochemical studies suggest that the nanohybrid material effectively catalyzes oxygen reduction reaction via an ideal 4-electron transfer process and outperforms Pt/C in catalyzing oxygen evolution reactions. Accordingly, the prototype ZnABs exhibit a low discharge-charge voltage gap (e.g. 0.7 V, discharge-charge at 2 mA cm-2) with higher stability and longer cycle life compared to their counterparts constructed using Pt/C in air-cathode. Importantly, the hybrid nanofiber mat readily serves as an integrated air-cathode without the need of any further modification. Benefitting from its efficient catalytic activities and structural advantages, particularly the 3D architecture of highly conductive CNFs and the high loading density of strongly attached Co3O4 NPs on their surfaces, the resultant ZnABs show significantly improved performance with respect to the rate capability, cycling stability and current density, promising good potential in practical applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: TGA curves of as electrospun Co(ii)-PAN fiber and C-CoPAN900 EDX and XPS spectra of the C-CoPAN900 photo of a home-built Zn-air cell and the preparation method of conventional catalyst electrode; polarization curves and corresponding power density plots of the battery using conventional type cathode of C-CoPN900 and commercial Pt/C catalyst; the electrocatalytic properties of hybrid CNFs obtained from varied weight ratios of PAN to cobalt acetate, e.g. 16 : 1 and 8 : 1, and their corresponding TGA curves; a comparison of the Zn-air battery performance of this work with recent literatures. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr05988c

Electromechanical performance analysis of inflated dielectric elastomer membrane for micro pump applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saini, Abhishek; Ahmad, Dilshad; Patra, Karali

2016-04-01

Dielectric elastomers have received a great deal of attention recently as potential materials for many new types of sensors, actuators and future energy generators. When subjected to high electric field, dielectric elastomer membrane sandwiched between compliant electrodes undergoes large deformation with a fast response speed. Moreover, dielectric elastomers have high specific energy density, toughness, flexibility and shape processability. Therefore, dielectric elastomer membranes have gained importance to be applied as micro pumps for microfluidics and biomedical applications. This work intends to extend the electromechanical performance analysis of inflated dielectric elastomer membranes to be applied as micro pumps. Mechanical burst test and cyclic tests were performed to investigate the mechanical breakdown and hysteresis loss of the dielectric membrane, respectively. Varying high electric field was applied on the inflated membrane under different static pressure to determine the electromechanical behavior and nonplanar actuation of the membrane. These tests were repeated for membranes with different pre-stretch values. Results show that pre-stretching improves the electromechanical performance of the inflated membrane. The present work will help to select suitable parameters for designing micro pumps using dielectric elastomer membrane. However this material lacks durability in operation.This issue also needs to be investigated further for realizing practical micro pumps.

Linking job-relevant personality traits, transformational leadership, and job performance via perceived meaningfulness at work: A moderated mediation model.

PubMed

Frieder, Rachel E; Wang, Gang; Oh, In-Sue

2018-03-01

By integrating the fundamental principles of the theory of purposeful work behavior (TPWB; Barrick, Mount, & Li, 2013) with cognitive-affective personality system (CAPS) theory (Mischel, 1977; Mischel & Shoda, 1995), we examine how and when salespeople's job-relevant personality traits relate to their performance. We argue that individuals with personality traits that fit outdoor sales jobs (i.e., conscientious, extraversion, openness to experience) will perceive their work as more meaningful and as a result achieve heightened performance. Moreover, drawing from TPWB and CAPS theory, we expect that as an important element of the social context, transformational leadership moderates the indirect effect of salespeople's job-relevant personality traits on their job performance via enhanced perceptions of meaningfulness at work. Results based on data from 496 outdoor salespeople and their 218 supervisors and regional managers provide support for the hypotheses pertaining to conscientiousness and openness, but not extraversion. Specifically, the conditional indirect effects of conscientiousness or openness on performance through perceived meaningfulness are more positive under low, rather than high, levels of transformational leadership. Implications for research and practice are discussed along with study limitations and future research directions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Ready to rumble: how team personality composition and task conflict interact to improve performance.

PubMed

Bradley, Bret H; Klotz, Anthony C; Postlethwaite, Bennett E; Brown, Kenneth G

2013-03-01

Although prior work has proposed a number of conditions under which task conflict in teams may improve performance, composition variables have been left unexplored. Given the effects of personality traits on team processes and outcomes demonstrated in prior work, investigating whether specific personality compositions influence the effect of task conflict on team performance is critical to researchers' understanding of conflict in teams. Our results indicate that team-level averages of both openness to experience and emotional stability function as moderators of the relationship between task conflict and team performance. Specifically, task conflict had a positive impact on performance in teams with high levels of openness or emotional stability; in contrast, task conflict had a negative impact on performance in teams with low levels of openness or emotional stability. Thus, when task conflict emerges, teams composed of members who are open minded or emotionally stable are best able to leverage conflict to improve performance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

ASCCP Colposcopy Standards: How Do We Perform Colposcopy? Implications for Establishing Standards.

PubMed

Waxman, Alan G; Conageski, Christine; Silver, Michelle I; Tedeschi, Candice; Stier, Elizabeth A; Apgar, Barbara; Huh, Warner K; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Massad, L Stewart; Khan, Michelle J; Mayeaux, Edward J; Einstein, Mark H; Schiffman, Mark H; Guido, Richard S

2017-10-01

The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) Colposcopy Standards recommendations address the role of and approach to colposcopy and biopsy for cervical cancer prevention in the United States. The recommendations were developed by an expert working group appointed by ASCCP's Board of Directors. Working group 3 defined colposcopy procedure guidelines for minimum and comprehensive colposcopy practice and evaluated the use of colposcopy adjuncts. The working group performed a systematic literature review to identify best practices in colposcopy methodology and to evaluate the use of available colposcopy adjuncts. The literature provided little evidence to support specific elements of the procedure. The working group, therefore, implemented a national survey of current and recent ASCCP members to evaluate common elements of the colposcopy examination. The findings of this survey were modified by expert consensus from the ASCCP Colposcopy Standards Committee members to create guidelines for performing colposcopy. The draft recommendations were posted online for public comment and presented at an open session of the International Federation for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy 2017 World Congress for further comment. All comments were considered in the development of final recommendations. Minimum and comprehensive colposcopy practice guidelines were developed. These guidelines represent recommended practice in all parts of the examination including the following: precolposcopy evaluation, performing the procedure, documentation of findings, biopsy practice, and postprocedure follow-up. These guidelines are intended to serve as a guide to standardize colposcopy across the United States.

General practice: the DREEM attachment? Comparing the educational environment of hospital and general practice placements.

PubMed

Kelly, Martina; Bennett, Deirdre; O'Flynn, Siun

2012-01-01

The clinical learning environment is changing. General practice placements are now a fundamental part of undergraduate medical education. There is growing recognition that changes in hospital work practices are altering the breadth of exposure available to students. Surprisingly little work has been done comparing the quality of clinical placements between the hospital and community using validated tools. Such comparisons inform curriculum planning and resource allocation. The aim of this study was to compare the quality of the educational environment experienced by junior medical students during hospital and general practice placements using a widely used tool. Following the introduction of a new integrated curriculum, all Year 3 students (n=108) completed a standardised evaluation instrument, the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) at the end of each of their clinical attachments (two different hospital sites and one in general practice), giving a total of 324 questionnaires. All forms were analysed and input into Graphpad INSTAT version 3. Total DREEM scores as well as subscale scores were calculated for each site. These were compared across sites using a Mann-Whitney U non-parametric test. By comparison with international standards, clinical attachments in our new integrated curriculum were rated highly. In particular, attachments in general practice scored highly with a mean score of 156.6 and perform significantly better (P < 0.01) when compared with the mean score for hospital rotations of 149.0. Significant differences between general practice and hospital rotations exist in the domains of students' perceptions of atmosphere and students' social self-perceptions. Finally, significant differences also emerged in students' perceptions of teachers in general practice when compared to those in the hospital setting. These findings provide evidence of the high-quality educational environment afforded students in primary care. They challenge the traditional emphasis on hospital-based teaching and preempt the question - Is the community a better place for junior students to learn?

Teacher Classroom Practices and Mathematics Performance in South African Schools: A Reflection on TIMSS 2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arends, Fabian; Winnaar, Lolita; Mosimege, Mogege

2017-01-01

Teachers play an important role in the provision of quality education. The variety of classroom practices they use in interacting with learners play a critical role in the understanding of mathematical concepts and overall performance in Mathematics. Following the work done by Hattie (2009, 2012) in relation to classroom practices this study…

Academy of nutrition and dietetics: revised 2014 standards of practice and standards of professional performance for registered dietitian nutritionists (competent, proficient, and expert) in sports nutrition and dietetics.

PubMed

Steinmuller, Patricia L; Kruskall, Laura J; Karpinski, Christine A; Manore, Melinda M; Macedonio, Michele A; Meyer, Nanna L

2014-04-01

Sports nutrition and dietetics addresses relationships of nutrition with physical activity, including weight management, exercise, and physical performance. Nutrition plays a key role in the prevention and treatment of obesity and chronic disease and for maintenance of health, and the ability to engage in physical activity, sports, and other aspects of physical performance. Thus, the Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, with guidance from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Management Committee, has developed the Revised 2014 Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance as a resource for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists working in sports nutrition and dietetics to assess their current skill levels and to identify areas for further professional development in this emerging practice area. The revised document reflects advances in sports nutrition and dietetics practice since the original standards were published in 2009 and replaces those standards. The Standards of Practice represents the four steps in the Nutrition Care Process as applied to the care of patients/clients. The Standards of Professional Performance covers six standards of professional performance: quality in practice, competence and accountability, provision of services, application of research, communication and application of knowledge, and utilization and management of resources. Within each standard, specific indicators provide measurable action statements that illustrate how the standards can be applied to practice. The indicators describe three skill levels (competent, proficient, and expert) for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists working in sports nutrition and dietetics. The Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance are complementary resources for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists in sports nutrition and dietetics practice. Copyright © 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Accountability: The Ethics of Devising a Practice-as-Research Performance with Learning-Disabled Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leighton, Fran

2009-01-01

This article discusses the dilemmas encountered by non-disabled performance researchers and practitioners working with learning-disabled people. I demonstrate how the "accounts" of empirical social scientists informed my PARIP [practice-as-research-in-performance] project, "BluYesBlu," and how Judith Butler's reformulation of the concept of…

Connecting Music Education and Virtual Performance Practices from YouTube

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cayari, Christopher

2018-01-01

The Internet has inspired musicians to explore technologies to produce recorded music performances. Social media sites like YouTube provide spaces for musicians to share their works, and the advances of technologies that afford venues and opportunities for performers to share their crafts. As amateur Internet musicians develop practices to create…

Towards high-performance materials for road construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gladkikh, V.; Korolev, E.; Smirnov, V.

2017-10-01

Due to constant increase of traffic, modern road construction is in need of high-performance pavement materials. The operational performance of such materials can be characterized by many properties. Nevertheless, the most important ones are resistance to rutting and resistance to dynamical loads. It was proposed earlier to use sulfur extended asphalt concrete in road construction practice. To reduce the emission of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide during the concrete mix preparation and pavement production stages, it is beneficial to make such a concrete on the base of complex sulfur modifier. In the present work the influence of the complex modifier to mechanical properties of sulfur extended asphalt concrete was examined. It was shown that sulfur extended asphalt concrete is of high mechanical properties. It was also revealed that there as an anomalous negative correlations between strain capacity, fatigue life and fracture toughness.

Social Media, Academics' Identity Work and the Good Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Liz

2017-01-01

Focussing on academics' professional identity, this paper analyses the challenges academics experience when adopting new technologies in their pedagogical practices. Notions of "economies of performance" and "ecologies of practice" as well as the concept of liminality are employed to understand this identity work. The paper…

Automated high-grade prostate cancer detection and ranking on whole slide images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chao-Hui; Racoceanu, Daniel

2017-03-01

Recently, digital pathology (DP) has been largely improved due to the development of computer vision and machine learning. Automated detection of high-grade prostate carcinoma (HG-PCa) is an impactful medical use-case showing the paradigm of collaboration between DP and computer science: given a field of view (FOV) from a whole slide image (WSI), the computer-aided system is able to determine the grade by classifying the FOV. Various approaches have been reported based on this approach. However, there are two reasons supporting us to conduct this work: first, there is still room for improvement in terms of detection accuracy of HG-PCa; second, a clinical practice is more complex than the operation of simple image classification. FOV ranking is also an essential step. E.g., in clinical practice, a pathologist usually evaluates a case based on a few FOVs from the given WSI. Then, makes decision based on the most severe FOV. This important ranking scenario is not yet being well discussed. In this work, we introduce an automated detection and ranking system for PCa based on Gleason pattern discrimination. Our experiments suggested that the proposed system is able to perform high-accuracy detection ( 95:57% +/- 2:1%) and excellent performance of ranking. Hence, the proposed system has a great potential to support the daily tasks in the medical routine of clinical pathology.

Best Practices in the Performing Arts: Transformation and Flourishing in a Progressive Summer Dance Theater Program for Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kane, Kevin M.

2013-01-01

The idea of "best practices" in the performing arts is introduced as a set of progressive educational values and pedagogical strategies that attempt to not only train youth in the performing arts, but also to be transformative. This article builds on the work of educational reformer John Dewey to describe progressive performing arts…

How psychosocial factors affect well-being of practice assistants at work in general medical care?--a questionnaire survey.

PubMed

Goetz, Katja; Berger, Sarah; Gavartina, Amina; Zaroti, Stavria; Szecsenyi, Joachim

2015-11-11

Well-being at work is an important aspect of a workforce strategy. The aim of the study was to explore and evaluate psychosocial factors and health and work-related outcomes of practices assistants depending on their employment status in general medical practices. This observational study was based on a questionnaire survey to evaluate psychosocial aspects at work in general medical practices. A standardized questionnaire was used, the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Beside descriptive analyses linear regression analyses were performed for each health and work-related outcome scale of the COPSOQ. 586 practice assistants out of 794 respondents (73.8 %) from 234 general medical practices completed the questionnaire. Practice assistants reported the highest scores for the psychosocial factor 'sense of community' (mean = 85.9) and the lower score for 'influence at work' (mean = 41.2). Moreover, practice assistants who worked part-time rated their psychosocial factors at work and health-related outcomes more positively than full-time employees. Furthermore, the two scales of health related outcomes 'burnout' and 'job satisfaction' showed strong associations between different psychosocial factors and socio-demographic variables. Psychosocial factors at work influence well-being at work and could be strong risk factors for poor health and work-related outcomes. Effective management of these issues could have an impact on the retention and recruitment of health care staff.

Effect of cold conditions on manual performance while wearing petroleum industry protective clothing.

PubMed

Wiggen, Øystein Nordrum; Heen, Sigri; Færevik, Hilde; Reinertsen, Randi Eidsmo

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate manual performance and thermal responses during low work intensity in persons wearing standard protective clothing in the petroleum industry when they were exposed to a range of temperatures (5, -5, -15 and -25℃) that are relevant to environmental conditions for petroleum industry personnel in northern regions. Twelve men participated in the study. Protective clothing was adjusted for the given cold exposure according to current practices. The subjects performed manual tests five times under each environmental condition. The manual performance test battery consisted of four different tests: tactile sensation (Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments), finger dexterity (Purdue Pegboard), hand dexterity (Complete Minnesota dexterity test) and grip strength (grip dynamometer). We found that exposure to -5℃ or colder lowered skin and body temperatures and reduced manual performance during low work intensity. In conclusion the current protective clothing at a given cold exposure is not adequate to maintain manual performance and thermal balance for petroleum workers in the high north.

Effective strategies for nurse retention in acute hospitals: a mixed method study.

PubMed

Van den Heede, Koen; Florquin, Mieke; Bruyneel, Luk; Aiken, Linda; Diya, Luwis; Lesaffre, Emmanuel; Sermeus, Walter

2013-02-01

The realization of an organizational context that succeeds to retain nurses within their job is one of the most effective strategies of dealing with nursing shortages. First, to examine the impact of nursing practice environments, nurse staffing and nurse education on nurse reported intention to leave the hospital. Second, to provide understanding of which best practices in the organization of nursing care are being implemented to provide sound practice environments and to retain nurses. 3186 bedside nurses of 272 randomly selected nursing units in 56 Belgian acute hospitals were surveyed. A GEE logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the impact of organization of nursing care on nurse reported intention to leave controlling for differences in region (Walloon, Flanders, and Brussels), hospital characteristics (technology level, teaching status, and size) and nurse characteristics (experience, gender, and age). For the second objective, in-depth semi-structured interviews with the chief nursing officers of the three high and three low performing hospitals on reported intention to leave were held. 29.5% of Belgian nurses have an intention-to-leave the hospital. Patient-to-nurse staffing ratios and nurse work environments are significantly (p<0.05) associated with intention-to-leave. Interviews with Chief Nurse Officers revealed that high performing hospitals showing low nurse retention were--in contrast to the low performing hospitals--characterized by a flat organization structure with a participative management style, structured education programs and career opportunities for nurses. This study, together with the international body of evidence, suggests that investing in improved nursing work environments is a key strategy to retain nurses. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Work Capability and physiological effects predictive studies. 4: In He-O2 excursions to pressures of 400- 800- 1200- and 1600 feet of sea water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lambertsen, C. J. (Editor); Gelfand, R. (Editor); Clark, J. M. (Editor); Fletcher, M. E. (Editor)

1978-01-01

Experiments which exposed men in chambers, breathing helium with oxygen, to progressive increases of pressure equivalent to 400-800-1200-1600 feet of sea water (fsw) were conducted. Rates of compression and exposure to stable high pressure. Goals included: 1) determination of the specific character and time course of onset of physiological and performance decrements during the intentionally rapid compressions, and determination of rates of adaptation on reaching stable elevated pressure; 2) investigation of accelerated methods for decompression in deep saturation excursion diving; and 3) determination of competence in practical work performed in water at pressures equivalent to the extreme diving depths of 1200 and 1600 fsw.

Two-step simulation of velocity and passive scalar mixing at high Schmidt number in turbulent jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rah, K. Jeff; Blanquart, Guillaume

2016-11-01

Simulation of passive scalar in the high Schmidt number turbulent mixing process requires higher computational cost than that of velocity fields, because the scalar is associated with smaller length scales than velocity. Thus, full simulation of both velocity and passive scalar with high Sc for a practical configuration is difficult to perform. In this work, a new approach to simulate velocity and passive scalar mixing at high Sc is suggested to reduce the computational cost. First, the velocity fields are resolved by Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Then, by extracting the velocity information from LES, the scalar inside a moving fluid blob is simulated by Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS). This two-step simulation method is applied to a turbulent jet and provides a new way to examine a scalar mixing process in a practical application with smaller computational cost. NSF, Samsung Scholarship.

The effects of using high-fidelity simulators and standardized patients on the thorax, lung, and cardiac examination skills of undergraduate nursing students.

PubMed

Tuzer, Hilal; Dinc, Leyla; Elcin, Melih

2016-10-01

Existing research literature indicates that the use of various simulation techniques in the training of physical examination skills develops students' cognitive and psychomotor abilities in a realistic learning environment while improving patient safety. The study aimed to compare the effects of the use of a high-fidelity simulator and standardized patients on the knowledge and skills of students conducting thorax-lungs and cardiac examinations, and to explore the students' views and learning experiences. A mixed-method explanatory sequential design. The study was conducted in the Simulation Laboratory of a Nursing School, the Training Center at the Faculty of Medicine, and in the inpatient clinics of the Education and Research Hospital. Fifty-two fourth-year nursing students. Students were randomly assigned to Group I and Group II. The students in Group 1 attended the thorax-lungs and cardiac examination training using a high-fidelity simulator, while the students in Group 2 using standardized patients. After the training sessions, all students practiced their skills on real patients in the clinical setting under the supervision of the investigator. Knowledge and performance scores of all students increased following the simulation activities; however, the students that worked with standardized patients achieved significantly higher knowledge scores than those that worked with the high-fidelity simulator; however, there was no significant difference in performance scores between the groups. The mean performance scores of students on real patients were significantly higher compared to the post-simulation assessment scores (p<0.001). Results of this study revealed that use of standardized patients was more effective than the use of a high-fidelity simulator in increasing the knowledge scores of students on thorax-lungs and cardiac examinations; however, practice on real patients increased performance scores of all students without any significant difference in two groups. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ergonomics, quality and continuous improvement--conceptual and empirical relationships in an industrial context.

PubMed

Eklund, J

1997-10-01

This paper reviews the literature comparing the fields of ergonomics and quality, mainly in an industrial context, including mutual influences, similarities and differences. Relationships between ergonomics and the factors: work conditions, product design, ISO 9000, continuous improvements and TQM are reviewed in relation to the consequence, application, and process domains. The definitions of ergonomics and quality overlap substantially. Quality deficiencies, human errors and ergonomics problems often have the same cause, which in many cases can be traced to the design of work, workplace and environment e.g. noise, light, postures, loads, pace and work content. In addition, the possibility of performing to a high standard at work is an important prerequisite for satisfaction and well-being. Contradictions between the two fields have been identified in the view of concepts such as standardization, reduction of variability and copying of best practice, requiring further research. The field of quality would gain by incorporating ergonomics knowledge, especially in the areas of work design and human capability, since these factors are decisive for human performance and also therefore the performance of the systems involved. The field of ergonomics, on the other hand, would benefit from developing a stronger emphasis on methodologies and structures for improvement processes, including a clearer link with leadership and company strategies. Just as important is a further development of practicable participative ergonomics methods and tools for use at workplaces by the workers themselves, in order to integrate the top-down and the bottom-up processes and achieve better impact. Using participative processes for problem-solving and continuous improvement, focusing ergonomics and quality jointly has a great potential for improving working conditions and quality results simultaneously, and satisfying most of the interested parties.

Bulk-Type All-Solid-State Lithium-Ion Batteries: Remarkable Performances of a Carbon Nanofiber-Supported MgH2 Composite Electrode.

PubMed

Zeng, Liang; Ichikawa, Takayuki; Kawahito, Koji; Miyaoka, Hiroki; Kojima, Yoshitsugu

2017-01-25

Magnesium hydride, MgH 2 , a recently developed compound for lithium-ion batteries, is considered to be a promising conversion-type negative electrode material due to its high theoretical lithium storage capacity of over 2000 mA h g -1 , suitable working potential, and relatively small volume expansion. Nevertheless, it suffers from unsatisfactory cyclability, poor reversibility, and slow kinetics in conventional nonaqueous electrolyte systems, which greatly limit the practical application of MgH 2 . In this work, a vapor-grown carbon nanofiber was used to enhance the electrical conductivity of MgH 2 using LiBH 4 as the solid-state electrolyte. It shows that a reversible capacity of over 1200 mA h g -1 with an average voltage of 0.5 V (vs Li/Li + ) can be obtained after 50 cycles at a current density of 1000 mA g -1 . In addition, the capacity of MgH 2 retains over 1100 mA h g -1 at a high current density of 8000 mA g -1 , which indicates the possibility of using MgH 2 as a negative electrode material for high power and high capacity lithium-ion batteries in future practical applications. Moreover, the widely studied sulfide-based solid electrolyte was also used to assemble battery cells with MgH 2 electrode in the same system, and the electrochemical performance was as good as that using LiBH 4 electrolyte.

There is no "i" in teamwork in the patient-centered medical home: defining teamwork competencies for academic practice.

PubMed

Leasure, Emily L; Jones, Ronald R; Meade, Lauren B; Sanger, Marla I; Thomas, Kris G; Tilden, Virginia P; Bowen, Judith L; Warm, Eric J

2013-05-01

Evidence suggests that teamwork is essential for safe, reliable practice. Creating health care teams able to function effectively in patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), practices that organize care around the patient and demonstrate achievement of defined quality care standards, remains challenging. Preparing trainees for practice in interprofessional teams is particularly challenging in academic health centers where health professions curricula are largely siloed. Here, the authors review a well-delineated set of teamwork competencies that are important for high-functioning teams and suggest how these competencies might be useful for interprofessional team training and achievement of PCMH standards. The five competencies are (1) team leadership, the ability to coordinate team members' activities, ensure appropriate task distribution, evaluate effectiveness, and inspire high-level performance, (2) mutual performance monitoring, the ability to develop a shared understanding among team members regarding intentions, roles, and responsibilities so as to accurately monitor one another's performance for collective success, (3) backup behavior, the ability to anticipate the needs of other team members and shift responsibilities during times of variable workload, (4) adaptability, the capability of team members to adjust their strategy for completing tasks on the basis of feedback from the work environment, and (5) team orientation, the tendency to prioritize team goals over individual goals, encourage alternative perspectives, and show respect and regard for each team member. Relating each competency to a vignette from an academic primary care clinic, the authors describe potential strategies for improving teamwork learning and applying the teamwork competences to academic PCMH practices.

Best Practice in Middle-School Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, Alandeom W.; Wilcox, Kristen C.; Angelis, Janet; Applebee, Arthur N.; Amodeo, Vincent; Snyder, Michele A.

2013-03-01

Using socio-ecological theory, this study explores best practice (educational practices correlated with higher student performance) in middle-school science. Seven schools with consistently higher student performance were compared with three demographically similar, average-performing schools. Best practice included instructional approaches (relevance and engagement, inquiry, differentiated instruction, collaborative work, moderate amounts of homework, and integration of language literacy and science) and administrative practices (nurturing a climate of opportunity to succeed in science, offering professional development based on data and dialogue, engaging teachers in standards-based curriculum revision and alignment, and recruiting the right fit of teacher). It is argued that best practice entails multiple levels of teaching and administrative praxis that together form a school-wide socio-ecological system conducive to higher performance.

Student Success: Identifying High-Impact Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waiwaiole, Evelyn N.; Bohlig, E. Michael; Massey, Kristine J.

2016-01-01

This chapter discusses the work of the Center for Community College Student Engagement, highlighting institutes the Center hosts and work that comes from these meetings. Examples of interventions that evolved from the High-Impact Practices Institutes conducted by the Center are provided. The chapter concludes with a discussion about implementation…

Locum doctors in general practice: motivation and experiences.

PubMed Central

McKevitt, C; Morgan, M; Hudson, M

1999-01-01

BACKGROUND: There is evidence of dissatisfaction with locum doctors' performance, but little is known about doctors who work as locums in general practice or about their experiences of this work. AIM: To describe the motivations and experiences of doctors providing locum cover in general practices. METHOD: A postal questionnaire survey distributed to locums through organizations such as locum groups, commercial agencies, and general practices. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned by 111 doctors currently working as locums in general practice. Four main reasons for working as a locum GP were: as a short-term option while between posts, to gain experience of different practices before commitment to one practice, to balance work and family or other commitments, to continue part-time work after retirement. One-quarter of responders intended to continue working as a locum indefinitely. The drawbacks of locum work included frustration with low status, lack of security, and difficulty accessing structured training and education. CONCLUSION: Locum doctors in general practice are a heterogeneous group that includes those who have chosen this type of work. The doctors who intend to continue as locums indefinitely represent a useful resource in primary care whose ability to provide short-term cover could be maximized. The need to control the quality of 'freelance' doctors should not overshadow the need to control the quality of their working environments. PMID:10621983

The physician as disability advisor for patients with musculoskeletal complaints.

PubMed

Rainville, James; Pransky, Glenn; Indahl, Aage; Mayer, Eric K

2005-11-15

Literature review. To review the literature about the performance of physicians as mediators of temporary and permanent disability for patients with chronic musculoskeletal complaints. To assess specifically the nature and variance of recommendations from physicians, factors influencing physician performance, and efforts to influence physician behavior in this area. While caring for patients with musculoskeletal injuries, physicians are often asked to recommend appropriate levels of activity and work. These recommendations have significant consequences for patients' general health, employment, and financial well-being. Medical literature search. Physician recommendations limiting activity and work after injury are highly variable, often reflecting their own pain attitudes and beliefs. Patients' desires strongly predict disability recommendations (i.e., physicians often acquiesce to patients' requests). Other influences include jurisdiction, employer, insurer, and medical system factors. The most successful efforts to influence physician recommendations have used mass communication to influence public attitudes, while reinforcing the current standard of practice for physicians. Physician recommendations for work and activity have important health and financial implications. Systemic, multidimensional approaches are necessary to improve performance.

Do Women Work Less Than Men in Urology: Data From the American Urological Association Census.

PubMed

Porten, Sima P; Gaither, Thomas W; Greene, Kirsten L; Baradaran, Nima; Anger, Jennifer T; Breyer, Benjamin N

2018-04-30

To further explore the issue of work parity between male and female urologists in the context of demographics, practice characteristics, subspecialty affiliation, and planned retirement. We analyzed data from the 2014 American Urological Association census, which is a specialty wide survey distributed to the entire urology community in the United States. A total of 2204 census samples were weighted to represent 11,703 urologists who practiced in the United States in 2014. We compared clinical and nonclinical hours worked by gender after adjusting for age, practice setting, fellowship type, and whether or not the urologist performed inpatient operations. Of the 11,703 practicing urologists in the United States, female urologists make up approximately 7.7% of the workforce (n ~ 897). Female practicing urologists were younger (66.4%, <45 years old), had shorter training intervals, and a younger planned retirement age than their male counterparts (63 years vs 68.5 years, P <.001). More women were fellowship-trained in a urologic subspecialty (54.9% vs 34.9%, P <.001) and more were in academic practices (33.2% vs 21.9%, P = .03). After adjusting for age, practice type, subspecialty, and inpatient operations performed, there was no difference in hours worked between women and men (beta-coefficient -2.8, 95% confidence interval -6.4 to 0.7, P = .12). Gender does not appear to drive the number of hours urologists work per week. There is work hour parity between women and men practicing urologists in both clinical and nonclinical hours. Women are proportionately more likely to pursue fellowship training and hold academic positions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Employee (Dis)Engagement: Learning from Nurses Who Left Organizational Jobs for Independent Practice.

PubMed

Stahlke Wall, Sarah

2015-09-01

Employee engagement is of growing interest in healthcare organizations. Engaged employees give an extra measure of effort to contribute to organization goals, whereas disengaged employees withdraw, have lower performance and are more likely to leave their jobs. The aim of this ethnographic study was, in part, to explore the reasons why high-calibre nurses became disengaged from their work and opted to leave their hospital-based employment in favour of independent practice, as well as to consider the organizational conditions that influenced their desire to leave. The findings revealed that nurses left their hospital-based jobs because of health system change, job characteristics, working conditions and lack of respect, which relate closely to the antecedents of employee engagement. Employee engagement can be fostered through organizational support, trust-building management behaviour and transformational leadership. Copyright © 2015 Longwoods Publishing.

Allocation of Physician Time in Ambulatory Practice: A Time and Motion Study in 4 Specialties.

PubMed

Sinsky, Christine; Colligan, Lacey; Li, Ling; Prgomet, Mirela; Reynolds, Sam; Goeders, Lindsey; Westbrook, Johanna; Tutty, Michael; Blike, George

2016-12-06

Little is known about how physician time is allocated in ambulatory care. To describe how physician time is spent in ambulatory practice. Quantitative direct observational time and motion study (during office hours) and self-reported diary (after hours). U.S. ambulatory care in 4 specialties in 4 states (Illinois, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Washington). 57 U.S. physicians in family medicine, internal medicine, cardiology, and orthopedics who were observed for 430 hours, 21 of whom also completed after-hours diaries. Proportions of time spent on 4 activities (direct clinical face time, electronic health record [EHR] and desk work, administrative tasks, and other tasks) and self-reported after-hours work. During the office day, physicians spent 27.0% of their total time on direct clinical face time with patients and 49.2% of their time on EHR and desk work. While in the examination room with patients, physicians spent 52.9% of the time on direct clinical face time and 37.0% on EHR and desk work. The 21 physicians who completed after-hours diaries reported 1 to 2 hours of after-hours work each night, devoted mostly to EHR tasks. Data were gathered in self-selected, high-performing practices and may not be generalizable to other settings. The descriptive study design did not support formal statistical comparisons by physician and practice characteristics. For every hour physicians provide direct clinical face time to patients, nearly 2 additional hours is spent on EHR and desk work within the clinic day. Outside office hours, physicians spend another 1 to 2 hours of personal time each night doing additional computer and other clerical work. American Medical Association.

High-performance work systems in health care management, part 2: qualitative evidence from five case studies.

PubMed

McAlearney, Ann Scheck; Garman, Andrew N; Song, Paula H; McHugh, Megan; Robbins, Julie; Harrison, Michael I

2011-01-01

: A capable workforce is central to the delivery of high-quality care. Research from other industries suggests that the methodical use of evidence-based management practices (also known as high-performance work practices [HPWPs]), such as systematic personnel selection and incentive compensation, serves to attract and retain well-qualified health care staff and that HPWPs may represent an important and underutilized strategy for improving quality of care and patient safety. : The aims of this study were to improve our understanding about the use of HPWPs in health care organizations and to learn about their contribution to quality of care and patient safety improvements. : Guided by a model of HPWPs developed through an extensive literature review and synthesis, we conducted a series of interviews with key informants from five U.S. health care organizations that had been identified based on their exemplary use of HPWPs. We sought to explore the applicability of our model and learn whether and how HPWPs were related to quality and safety. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and subjected to qualitative analysis. : In each of the five organizations, we found emphasis on all four HPWP subsystems in our conceptual model-engagement, staff acquisition/development, frontline empowerment, and leadership alignment/development. Although some HPWPs were common, there were also practices that were distinctive to a single organization. Our informants reported links between HPWPs and employee outcomes (e.g., turnover and higher satisfaction/engagement) and indicated that HPWPs made important contributions to system- and organization-level outcomes (e.g., improved recruitment, improved ability to address safety concerns, and lower turnover). : These case studies suggest that the systematic use of HPWPs may improve performance in health care organizations and provide examples of how HPWPs can impact quality and safety in health care. Further research is needed to specify which HPWPs and systems are of greatest potential for health care management.

Conceptual Demand of Practical Work in Science Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferreira, Sílvia; Morais, Ana M.

2014-01-01

This article addresses the issue of the level of complexity of practical work in science curricula and is focused on the discipline of Biology and Geology at high school. The level of complexity is seen in terms of the emphasis on and types of practical work and, most importantly, in terms of its level of conceptual demand as given by the…

Eliminating micro-porous layer from gas diffusion electrode for use in high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Huaneng; Xu, Qian; Chong, Junjie; Li, Huaming; Sita, Cordellia; Pasupathi, Sivakumar

2017-02-01

In this work, we report a simple strategy to improve the performance of high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) by eliminating the micro-porous layer (MPL) from its gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs). Due to the absence of liquid water and the general use of high amount of catalyst, the MPL in a HT-PEMFC system works limitedly. Contrarily, the elimination of the MPL leads to an interlaced micropore/macropore composited structure in the catalyst layer (CL), which favors gas transport and catalyst utilization, resulting in a greatly improved single cell performance. At the normal working voltage (0.6 V), the current density of the GDE eliminated MPL reaches 0.29 A cm-2, and a maximum power density of 0.54 W cm-2 at 0.36 V is obtained, which are comparable to the best results yet reported for the HT-PEMFCs with similar Pt loading and operated using air. Furthermore, the MPL-free GDE maintains an excellent durability during a preliminary 1400 h HT-PEMFC operation, owing to its structure advantages, indicating the feasibility of this electrode for practical applications.

Depression and work performance: an ecological study using web-based screening.

PubMed

Harvey, S B; Glozier, N; Henderson, M; Allaway, S; Litchfield, P; Holland-Elliott, K; Hotopf, M

2011-05-01

Depression is reported to be a major cause of illness-related sub-optimal work performance (presenteeism). However, the majority of studies examining presenteeism have relied on self-report measures of work performance. Furthermore, employers currently face a number of practical challenges in attempting to facilitate early identification of depression. To test whether a web-based screening tool for depression could be used successfully in the workplace and whether it was possible to detect an association between rates of depression and objective measures of impaired workgroup performance. All permanent employees of a telecommunications company with UK-based call centres were encouraged to complete a web-based psychological assessment using the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9). In addition to confidential individual level results, the tool was able to provide anonymized summary statistics for each workgroup. Four objective measures of work performance were collected for each workgroup. During the study period, 1161 web-based PHQ-9 questionnaires were completed. There was a negative linear relationship between rates of depressive symptoms and the overall performance of a workgroup (P < 0.001). The linear relationship between depression and workgroup performance remained after controlling for gender balance, percent of temporary staff, employees' perceived level of engagement and satisfaction with their line manager (P < 0.01). Workgroups with high levels of depressive symptoms tend to perform poorly. Computer-aided web-based screening for symptoms of depression is feasible in a work setting.

Adapting Objective Structured Clinical Examinations to Assess Social Work Students' Performance and Reflections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bogo, Marion; Regehr, Cheryl; Logie, Carmen; Katz, Ellen; Mylopoulos, Maria; Regehr, Glenn

2011-01-01

The development of standardized, valid, and reliable methods for assessment of students' practice competence continues to be a challenge for social work educators. In this study, the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), originally used in medicine to assess performance through simulated interviews, was adapted for social work to…

Letting the Drama into Group Work: Using Conflict Constructively in Performing Arts Group Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crossley, Tracy

2006-01-01

The article examines conflict avoidance in performing arts group work and issues arising in relation to teaching and learning. In group theory, conflict is addressed largely in terms of its detrimental effects on group work, and its constructive potential is often marginalized. Similarly, undergraduate students usually interpret "effective…

Evidence-informed physical therapy management of performance-related musculoskeletal disorders in musicians

PubMed Central

Chan, Cliffton; Ackermann, Bronwen

2014-01-01

Playing a musical instrument at an elite level is a highly complex motor skill. The regular daily training loads resulting from practice, rehearsals and performances place great demands on the neuromusculoskeletal systems of the body. As a consequence, performance-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) are globally recognized as common phenomena amongst professional orchestral musicians. These disorders create a significant financial burden to individuals and orchestras as well as lead to serious consequences to the musicians’ performance and ultimately their career. Physical therapists are experts in treating musculoskeletal injuries and are ideally placed to apply their skills to manage PRMDs in this hyper-functioning population, but there is little available evidence to guide specific injury management approaches. An Australia-wide survey of professional orchestral musicians revealed that the musicians attributed excessively high or sudden increase in playing-load as major contributors to their PRMDs. Therefore, facilitating musicians to better manage these loads should be a cornerstone of physical therapy management. The Sound Practice orchestral musicians work health and safety project used formative and process evaluation approaches to develop evidence-informed and clinically applicable physical therapy interventions, ultimately resulting in favorable outcomes. After these methodologies were employed, the intervention studies were conducted with a national cohort of professional musicians including: health education, onsite injury management, cross-training exercise regimes, performance postural analysis, and music performance biomechanics feedback. The outcomes of all these interventions will be discussed alongside a focussed review on the existing literature of these management strategies. Finally, a framework for best-practice physical therapy management of PRMDs in musicians will be provided. PMID:25071671

The development of professional practice standards for Australian general practice nurses.

PubMed

Halcomb, Elizabeth; Stephens, Moira; Bryce, Julianne; Foley, Elizabeth; Ashley, Christine

2017-08-01

The aim of this study was to explore the current role of general practice nurses and the scope of nursing practice to inform the development of national professional practice standards for Australian general practice nurses. Increasing numbers of nurses have been employed in Australian general practice to meet the growing demand for primary care services. This has brought significant changes to the nursing role. Competency standards for nurses working in general practice were first developed in Australia in 2005, but limited attention has been placed on articulating the contemporary scope of practice for nurses in this setting. Concurrent mixed methods design. Data collection was conducted during 2013-2014 and involved two online surveys of Registered and Enrolled Nurses currently working in general practice, a series of 14 focus groups across Australia and a series of consultations with key experts. Data collection enabled the development of 22 Practice Standards separated into four domains: (i) Professional Practice; (ii) Nursing Care; (iii) General Practice Environment and (iv) Collaborative Practice. To differentiate the variations in enacting these Standards, performance indicators for the Enrolled Nurse, Registered Nurse and Registered Nurse Advanced Practice are provided under each Standard. The development of national professional practice standards for nurses working in Australian general practice will support ongoing workforce development. These Standards are also an important means of articulating the role and scope of the nurses' practice for both consumers and other health professionals, as well as being a guide for curriculum development and measurement of performance. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Water Quality Performance of Three Side-by-Side Permeable Pavement Surface Materials: Three Year Update

EPA Science Inventory

Communities are increasingly installing structural low impact development (LID) practices to mange stormwater and reduce pollutant loads associated with stormwater runoff. Permeable pavement is a LID practice that has limited research on working-scale, side-by-side performance o...

Application of the AMPLE cluster-and-truncate approach to NMR structures for molecular replacement

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bibby, Jaclyn; Keegan, Ronan M.; Mayans, Olga

2013-11-01

Processing of NMR structures for molecular replacement by AMPLE works well. AMPLE is a program developed for clustering and truncating ab initio protein structure predictions into search models for molecular replacement. Here, it is shown that its core cluster-and-truncate methods also work well for processing NMR ensembles into search models. Rosetta remodelling helps to extend success to NMR structures bearing low sequence identity or high structural divergence from the target protein. Potential future routes to improved performance are considered and practical, general guidelines on using AMPLE are provided.

Dyslexia in general practice education: considerations for recognition and support.

PubMed

Shrewsbury, Duncan

2016-07-01

Dyslexia is a common developmental learning difficulty, which persists throughout life. It is highly likely that those working in primary care will know, or even work with someone who has dyslexia. Dyslexia can impact on performance in postgraduate training and exams. The stereotypical characteristics of dyslexia, such as literacy difficulties, are often not obvious in adult learners. Instead, recognition requires a holistic approach to evaluating personal strengths and difficulties, in the context of a supportive relationship. Strategies to support dyslexic learners should consider recommendations made in formal diagnostic reports, and aim to address self-awareness and coping skills.

Nanostructured Electrode Materials Derived from Metal-Organic Framework Xerogels for High-Energy-Density Asymmetric Supercapacitor.

PubMed

Mahmood, Asif; Zou, Ruqiang; Wang, Qingfei; Xia, Wei; Tabassum, Hassina; Qiu, Bin; Zhao, Ruo

2016-01-27

This work successfully demonstrates metal-organic framework (MOF) derived strategy to prepare nanoporous carbon (NPC) with or without Fe3O4/Fe nanoparticles by the optimization of calcination temperature as highly active electrode materials for asymmetric supercapacitors (ASC). The nanostructured Fe3O4/Fe/C hybrid shows high specific capacitance of 600 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g and excellent capacitance retention up to 500 F/g at 8 A/g. Furthermore, hierarchically NPC with high surface area also obtained from MOF gels displays excellent electrochemical performance of 272 F/g at 2 mV/s. Considering practical applications, aqueous ASC (aASC) was also assembled, which shows high energy density of 17.496 Wh/kg at the power density of 388.8 W/kg. The high energy density and excellent capacity retention of the developed materials show great promise for the practical utilization of these energy storage devices.

Teachers, Arts Practice and Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franks, Anton; Thomson, Pat; Hall, Chris; Jones, Ken

2014-01-01

What are possible overlaps between arts practice and school pedagogy? How is teacher subjectivity and pedagogy affected when teachers engage with arts practice, in particular, theatre practices? We draw on research conducted into the Learning Performance Network (LPN), a project that involved school teachers working with the Royal Shakespeare…

Conceptual frameworks of individual work performance: a systematic review.

PubMed

Koopmans, Linda; Bernaards, Claire M; Hildebrandt, Vincent H; Schaufeli, Wilmar B; de Vet Henrica, C W; van der Beek, Allard J

2011-08-01

Individual work performance is differently conceptualized and operationalized in different disciplines. The aim of the current review was twofold: (1) identifying conceptual frameworks of individual work performance and (2) integrating these to reach a heuristic conceptual framework. A systematic review was conducted in medical, psychological, and management databases. Studies were selected independently by two researchers and included when they presented a conceptual framework of individual work performance. A total of 17 generic frameworks (applying across occupations) and 18 job-specific frameworks (applying to specific occupations) were identified. Dimensions frequently used to describe individual work performance were task performance, contextual performance, counterproductive work behavior, and adaptive performance. On the basis of the literature, a heuristic conceptual framework of individual work performance was proposed. This framework can serve as a theoretical basis for future research and practice.

Perform qualify reliability-power tests by shooting common mistakes: practical problems and standard answers per Telcordia/Bellcore requests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zheng

2002-08-01

Facing the new demands of the optical fiber communications market, almost all the performance and reliability of optical network system are dependent on the qualification of the fiber optics components. So, how to comply with the system requirements, the Telcordia / Bellcore reliability and high-power testing has become the key issue for the fiber optics components manufacturers. The qualification of Telcordia / Bellcore reliability or high-power testing is a crucial issue for the manufacturers. It is relating to who is the outstanding one in the intense competition market. These testing also need maintenances and optimizations. Now, work on the reliability and high-power testing have become the new demands in the market. The way is needed to get the 'Triple-Win' goal expected by the component-makers, the reliability-testers and the system-users. To those who are meeting practical problems for the testing, there are following seven topics that deal with how to shoot the common mistakes to perform qualify reliability and high-power testing: ¸ Qualification maintenance requirements for the reliability testing ¸ Lots control for preparing the reliability testing ¸ Sampling select per the reliability testing ¸ Interim measurements during the reliability testing ¸ Basic referencing factors relating to the high-power testing ¸ Necessity of re-qualification testing for the changing of producing ¸ Understanding the similarity for product family by the definitions

Discouraged by Peer Excellence: Exposure to Exemplary Peer Performance Causes Quitting.

PubMed

Rogers, Todd; Feller, Avi

2016-03-01

People are exposed to exemplary peer performances often (and sometimes by design in interventions). In two studies, we showed that exposure to exemplary peer performances can undermine motivation and success by causing people to perceive that they cannot attain their peers' high levels of performance. It also causes de-identification with the relevant domain. We examined such discouragement by peer excellence by exploiting the incidental exposure to peers' abilities that occurs when students are asked to assess each other's work. Study 1 was a natural experiment in a massive open online course that employed peer assessment (N = 5,740). Exposure to exemplary peer performances caused a large proportion of students to quit the course. Study 2 explored underlying psychological mechanisms in an online replication (N = 361). Discouragement by peer excellence has theoretical implications for work on social judgment, social comparison, and reference bias and has practical implications for interventions that induce social comparisons. © The Author(s) 2016.

The time course of cancer detection performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor-Phillips, Sian; Clarke, Aileen; Wallis, Matthew; Wheaton, Margot; Duncan, Alison; Gale, Alastair G.

2011-03-01

The purpose of this study was to measure how mammography readers' performance varies with time of day and time spent reading. This was investigated in screening practice and when reading an enriched case set. In screening practice records of time and date that each case was read, along with outcome (whether the woman was recalled for further tests, and biopsy results where performed) was extracted from records from one breast screening centre in UK (4 readers). Patterns of performance with time spent reading was also measured using an enriched test set (160 cases, 41% malignant, read three times by eight radiologists). Recall rates varied with time of day, with different patterns for each reader. Recall rates decreased as the reading session progressed both when reading the enriched test set and in screening practice. Further work is needed to expand this work to a greater number of breast screening centres, and to determine whether these patterns of performance over time can be used to optimize overall performance.

Control-value theory: using achievement emotions to improve understanding of motivation, learning, and performance in medical education: AMEE Guide No. 64.

PubMed

Artino, Anthony R; Holmboe, Eric S; Durning, Steven J

2012-01-01

In this AMEE Guide, we consider the emergent theoretical and empirical work on human emotion and how this work can inform the theory, research, and practice of medical education. In the Guide, we define emotion, in general, and achievement emotions, more specifically. We describe one of the leading contemporary theories of achievement emotions, control-value theory (Pekrun 2006), and we distinguish between different types of achievement emotions, their proximal antecedents, and their consequences for motivation, learning, and performance. Next, we review the empirical support for control-value theory from non-medical fields and suggest several important implications for educational practice. In this section, we highlight the importance of designing learning environments that foster a high degree of control and value for students. Finally, we end with a discussion of the need for more research on achievement emotions in medical education, and we propose several key research questions we believe will facilitate our understanding of achievement emotions and their impact on important educational outcomes.

Understanding the motivations of the multigenerational physician assistant workforce.

PubMed

Lopes, John E; Delellis, Nailya O

2013-10-01

Physician assistants (PAs) are more frequently finding themselves in positions where they are responsible for staff recruitment and retention. Staff turnover is associated with significant financial costs for organizations. Motivational theories focusing on job design indicate that paying attention to a combination of factors related to the work itself, in addition to the environment where the work is performed, increases satisfaction. This study asked a convenience sample of practicing PAs to rate the importance of a number of work-related factors known to influence job satisfaction. The results may be used as a basis for designing an environment to increase job satisfaction and improve recruitment and retention of highly qualified staff.

Analysis and Design of Cryogenic Pressure Vessels for Automotive Hydrogen Storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinosa-Loza, Francisco Javier

Cryogenic pressure vessels maximize hydrogen storage density by combining the high pressure (350-700 bar) typical of today's composite pressure vessels with the cryogenic temperature (as low as 25 K) typical of low pressure liquid hydrogen vessels. Cryogenic pressure vessels comprise a high-pressure inner vessel made of carbon fiber-coated metal (similar to those used for storage of compressed gas), a vacuum space filled with numerous sheets of highly reflective metalized plastic (for high performance thermal insulation), and a metallic outer jacket. High density of hydrogen storage is key to practical hydrogen-fueled transportation by enabling (1) long-range (500+ km) transportation with high capacity vessels that fit within available spaces in the vehicle, and (2) reduced cost per kilogram of hydrogen stored through reduced need for expensive structural material (carbon fiber composite) necessary to make the vessel. Low temperature of storage also leads to reduced expansion energy (by an order of magnitude or more vs. ambient temperature compressed gas storage), potentially providing important safety advantages. All this is accomplished while simultaneously avoiding fuel venting typical of cryogenic vessels for all practical use scenarios. This dissertation describes the work necessary for developing and demonstrating successive generations of cryogenic pressure vessels demonstrated at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The work included (1) conceptual design, (2) detailed system design (3) structural analysis of cryogenic pressure vessels, (4) thermal analysis of heat transfer through cryogenic supports and vacuum multilayer insulation, and (5) experimental demonstration. Aside from succeeding in demonstrating a hydrogen storage approach that has established all the world records for hydrogen storage on vehicles (longest driving range, maximum hydrogen storage density, and maximum containment of cryogenic hydrogen without venting), the work also demonstrated a methodology for computationally efficient detailed modeling of cryogenic pressure vessels. The work continues with support of the US Department of Energy to demonstrate a new generation of cryogenic vessels anticipated to improve on the hydrogen storage performance figures previously imposed in this project. The author looks forward to further contributing to a future of long-range, inexpensive, and safe zero emissions transportation.

Sustainability performance evaluation: Literature review and future directions.

PubMed

Büyüközkan, Gülçin; Karabulut, Yağmur

2018-07-01

Current global economic activities are increasingly being perceived as unsustainable. Despite the high number of publications, sustainability science remains highly dispersed over diverse approaches and topics. This article aims to provide a structured overview of sustainability performance evaluation related publications and to document the current state of literature, categorize publications, analyze and link trends, as well as highlight gaps and provide research recommendations. 128 articles between 2007 and 2018 are identified. The results suggest that sustainability performance evaluation models shall be more balanced, suitable criteria and their interrelations shall be well defined and subjectivity of qualitative criteria inherent to sustainability indicators shall be considered. To address this subjectivity, group decision-making techniques and other analytical methods that can deal with uncertainty, conflicting indicators, and linguistic evaluations can be used in future works. By presenting research gaps, this review stimulates researchers to establish practically applicable sustainability performance evaluation frameworks to help assess and compare the degree of sustainability, leading to more sustainable business practices. The review is unique in defining corporate sustainability performance evaluation for the first time, exploring the gap between sustainability accounting and sustainability assessment, and coming up with a structured overview of innovative research recommendations about integrating analytical assessment methods into conceptual sustainability frameworks. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What really works.

PubMed

Nohria, Nitin; Joyce, William; Roberson, Bruce

2003-07-01

When it comes to improving business performance, managers have no shortage of tools and techniques to choose from. But what really works? What's critical, and what's optional? Two business professors and a former McKinsey consultant set out to answer those questions. In a ground-breaking, five-year study that involved more than 50 academics and consultants, the authors analyzed 200 management techniques as they were employed by 160 companies over ten years. Their findings at a high level? Business basics really matter. In this article, the authors outline the management practices that are imperative for sustained superior financial performance--their "4+2 formula" for business success. They provide examples of companies that achieved varying degrees of success depending on whether they applied the formula, and they suggest ways that other companies can achieve excellence. The 160 companies in their study--called the Evergreen Project--were divided into 40 quads, each comprising four companies in a narrowly defined industry. Based on its performance between 1986 and 1996, each company in each quad was classified as either a winner (for instance, Dollar General), a loser (Kmart), a climber (Target), or a tumbler (the Limited). Without exception, the companies that outperformed their industry peers excelled in what the authors call the four primary management practices: strategy, execution, culture, and structure. And they supplemented their great skill in those areas with a mastery of any two of four secondary management practices: talent, leadership, innovation, and mergers and partnerships. A company that consistently follows this 4+2 formula has a better than 90% chance of sustaining superior performance, according to the authors.

Exploring the Influence of High-Stakes Testing and Accountability on Teachers' Professional Identities through the Factors of Instructional Practice, Work Environment, and Teacher Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, Janet Harmon

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of high-stakes testing and accountability on teachers' perceptions of their professional identities. Teachers' instructional practice, work environments, and personal factors are now immersed in the context of high-stakes testing and accountability. This context colors the decisions teachers make…

A conceptual model of physician work intensity: guidance for evaluating policies and practices to improve health care delivery.

PubMed

Horner, Ronnie D; Matthews, Gerald; Yi, Michael S

2012-08-01

Physician work intensity, although a major factor in determining the payment for medical services, may potentially affect patient health outcomes including quality of care and patient safety, and has implications for the redesign of medical practice to improve health care delivery. However, to date, there has been minimal research regarding the relationship between physician work intensity and either patient outcomes or the organization and management of medical practices. A theoretical model on physician work intensity will provide useful guidance to such inquiries. To describe an initial conceptual model to facilitate further investigations of physician work intensity. A conceptual model of physician work intensity is described using as its theoretical base human performance science relating to work intensity. For each of the theoretical components, we present relevant empirical evidence derived from a review of the current literature. The proposed model specifies that the level of work intensity experienced by a physician is a consequence of the physician performing the set of tasks (ie, demands) relating to a medical service. It is conceptualized that each medical service has an inherent level of intensity that is experienced by a physician as a function of factors relating to the physician, patient, and medical practice environment. The proposed conceptual model provides guidance to researchers as to the factors to consider in studies of how physician work intensity impacts patient health outcomes and how work intensity may be affected by proposed policies and approaches to health care delivery.

Work history and radioprotection practices in relation to cancer incidence and mortality in US radiologic technologists performing nuclear medicine procedures.

PubMed

Bernier, Marie Odile; Doody, Michele M; Van Dyke, Miriam E; Villoing, Daphné; Alexander, Bruce H; Linet, Martha S; Kitahara, Cari M

2018-05-02

Technologists working in nuclear medicine (NM) are exposed to higher radiation doses than most other occupationally exposed populations. The aim of this study was to estimate the risk of cancer in NM technologists in relation to work history, procedures performed and radioprotection practices. From the US Radiologic Technologists cohort study, 72 755 radiologic technologists who completed a 2003-2005 questionnaire were followed for cancer mortality through 31 December 2012 and for cancer incidence through completion of a questionnaire in 2012-2013. Multivariable-adjusted models were used to estimate HRs for total cancer incidence and mortality by history of ever performing NM procedures and frequency of performing specific diagnostic or therapeutic NM procedures and associated radiation protection measures by decade. During follow-up (mean=7.5 years), 960 incident cancers and 425 cancer deaths were reported among the 22 360 technologists who worked with NM procedures. We observed no increased risk of cancer incidence (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.04) or death (HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.19) among workers who ever performed NM procedures. HRs for cancer incidence but not mortality were higher for technologists who began performing therapeutic procedures in 1960 and later compared with the 1950s. Frequency of performing diagnostic or therapeutic NM procedures and use of radioprotection measures were not consistently associated with cancer risk. No clear associations were observed for specific cancers, but results were based on small numbers. Cancer incidence and mortality were not associated with NM work history practices, including greater frequency of procedures performed. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

High-Performance Flexible All-Solid-State Supercapacitor from Large Free-Standing Graphene-PEDOT/PSS Films.

PubMed

Liu, Yuqing; Weng, Bo; Razal, Joselito M; Xu, Qun; Zhao, Chen; Hou, Yuyang; Seyedin, Shayan; Jalili, Rouhollah; Wallace, Gordon G; Chen, Jun

2015-11-20

Although great attention has been paid to wearable electronic devices in recent years, flexible lightweight batteries or supercapacitors with high performance are still not readily available due to the limitations of the flexible electrode inventory. In this work, highly flexible, bendable and conductive rGO-PEDOT/PSS films were prepared using a simple bar-coating method. The assembled device using rGO-PEDOT/PSS electrode could be bent and rolled up without any decrease in electrochemical performance. A relatively high areal capacitance of 448 mF cm(-2) was achieved at a scan rate of 10 mV s(-1) using the composite electrode with a high mass loading (8.49 mg cm(-2)), indicating the potential to be used in practical applications. To demonstrate this applicability, a roll-up supercapacitor device was constructed, which illustrated the operation of a green LED light for 20 seconds when fully charged.

High-Performance Flexible All-Solid-State Supercapacitor from Large Free-Standing Graphene-PEDOT/PSS Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yuqing; Weng, Bo; Razal, Joselito M.; Xu, Qun; Zhao, Chen; Hou, Yuyang; Seyedin, Shayan; Jalili, Rouhollah; Wallace, Gordon G.; Chen, Jun

2015-11-01

Although great attention has been paid to wearable electronic devices in recent years, flexible lightweight batteries or supercapacitors with high performance are still not readily available due to the limitations of the flexible electrode inventory. In this work, highly flexible, bendable and conductive rGO-PEDOT/PSS films were prepared using a simple bar-coating method. The assembled device using rGO-PEDOT/PSS electrode could be bent and rolled up without any decrease in electrochemical performance. A relatively high areal capacitance of 448 mF cm-2 was achieved at a scan rate of 10 mV s-1 using the composite electrode with a high mass loading (8.49 mg cm-2), indicating the potential to be used in practical applications. To demonstrate this applicability, a roll-up supercapacitor device was constructed, which illustrated the operation of a green LED light for 20 seconds when fully charged.

Python in the NERSC Exascale Science Applications Program for Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ronaghi, Zahra; Thomas, Rollin; Deslippe, Jack

We describe a new effort at the National Energy Re- search Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) in performance analysis and optimization of scientific Python applications targeting the Intel Xeon Phi (Knights Landing, KNL) many- core architecture. The Python-centered work outlined here is part of a larger effort called the NERSC Exascale Science Applications Program (NESAP) for Data. NESAP for Data focuses on applications that process and analyze high-volume, high-velocity data sets from experimental/observational science (EOS) facilities supported by the US Department of Energy Office of Science. We present three case study applications from NESAP for Data that use Python. These codesmore » vary in terms of “Python purity” from applications developed in pure Python to ones that use Python mainly as a convenience layer for scientists without expertise in lower level programming lan- guages like C, C++ or Fortran. The science case, requirements, constraints, algorithms, and initial performance optimizations for each code are discussed. Our goal with this paper is to contribute to the larger conversation around the role of Python in high-performance computing today and tomorrow, highlighting areas for future work and emerging best practices« less

Fuels Performance | Transportation Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

. Video Promotes Safe CNG Tank Decommissioning Practices A video on CNG fuel tank defueling instruct transit agencies and others about safe CNG tank end-of-life practices. The video was previewed at Biodiesel Performance in Modern Engines NREL is working cooperatively with the National Biodiesel Board on

Development of Performance Assessments in Science: Conceptual, Practical, and Logistical Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solano-Flores, Guillermo; Shavelson, Richard J.

1997-01-01

Conceptual, practical, and logistical issues in the development of science performance assessments (SPAs) are discussed. The conceptual framework identifies task, response format, and scoring system as components, and conceives of SPAs as tasks that attempt to recreate conditions in which scientists work. Developing SPAs is a sophisticated effort…

Unfashionable tales: narratives about what is (still) great in NHS general practice

PubMed Central

Spooner, Sharon

2016-01-01

Background There is clear evidence that general practice has become a less popular career choice and among GPs there are high levels of dissatisfaction and demotivation. Little empirical evidence has emerged to indicate which factors contribute intrinsic value to the working lives of GPs and sustain their ongoing commitment. Aim To understand which aspects of work continue to motivate and engage senior GPs by exploring their narrative accounts. Design and setting This was part of a qualitative study in which senior GPs and hospital specialists contributed narratives in which they reflected on their working lives. Method Individual, open interviews were conducted with eight GPs who had graduated in the early 1980s. Thematic analysis and situational analysis mapping were used to identify and connect related themes. Results During interviews in which doctors drew on a wide range of encounters and experiences, they revealed which aspects of work were associated with greater intrinsic rewards and contributed to their continuing motivation. Having chosen careers that suited their preferred settings and working practices, they recounted adjustments made in response to new challenges and confirmed experiencing greater enjoyment when performing roles affirming their sense of providing valued health care. Conclusion This study’s findings offer an alternative angle from which to consider the current unpopularity of general practice careers. The article proposes that long-term engagement of practitioners may be achieved through provision of adequate supportive resources to allow them to enact a sense of medical identity that matches with their acquired expectations of their role in the NHS. PMID:26740605

Practice-related improvement in working memory is modulated by changes in processing external interference.

PubMed

Berry, Anne S; Zanto, Theodore P; Rutman, Aaron M; Clapp, Wesley C; Gazzaley, Adam

2009-09-01

Working memory (WM) performance is impaired by the presence of external interference. Accordingly, more efficient processing of intervening stimuli with practice may lead to enhanced WM performance. To explore the role of practice on the impact that interference has on WM performance, we studied young adults with electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings as they performed three motion-direction, delayed-recognition tasks. One task was presented without interference, whereas two tasks introduced different types of interference during the interval of memory maintenance: distractors and interruptors. Distractors were to be ignored, whereas interruptors demanded attention based on task instructions for a perceptual discrimination. We show that WM performance was disrupted by both types of interference, but interference-induced disruption abated across a single experimental session through rapid learning. WM accuracy and response time improved in a manner that was correlated with changes in early neural measures of interference processing in visual cortex (i.e., P1 suppression and N1 enhancement). These results suggest practice-related changes in processing interference exert a positive influence on WM performance, highlighting the importance of filtering irrelevant information and the dynamic interactions that exist between neural processes of perception, attention, and WM during learning.

The impact of training and working conditions on junior doctors’ intention to leave clinical practice

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The shortage of physicians is an evolving problem throughout the world. In this study we aimed to identify to what extent junior doctors’ training and working conditions determine their intention to leave clinical practice after residency training. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted in 557 junior doctors undergoing residency training in German hospitals. Self-reported specialty training conditions, working conditions and intention to leave clinical practice were measured over three time points. Scales covering training conditions were assessed by structured residency training, professional support, and dealing with lack of knowledge; working conditions were evaluated by work overload, job autonomy and social support, based on the Demand–Control–Support model. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression analyses with random intercept for longitudinal data were applied to determine the odds ratio of having a higher level of intention to leave clinical practice. Results In the models that considered training and working conditions separately to predict intention to leave clinical practice we found significant baseline effects and change effects. After modelling training and working conditions simultaneously, we found evidence that the change effect of job autonomy (OR 0.77, p = .005) was associated with intention to leave clinical practice, whereas for the training conditions, only the baseline effects of structured residency training (OR 0.74, p = .017) and dealing with lack of knowledge (OR 0.74, p = .026) predicted intention to leave clinical practice. Conclusions Junior doctors undergoing specialty training experience high workload in hospital practice and intense requirements in terms of specialty training. Our study indicates that simultaneously improving working conditions over time and establishing a high standard of specialty training conditions may prevent junior doctors from considering leaving clinical practice after residency training. PMID:24942360

Linking Workplace Health Promotion Best Practices and Organizational Financial Performance: Tracking Market Performance of Companies With Highest Scores on the HERO Scorecard.

PubMed

Grossmeier, Jessica; Fabius, Ray; Flynn, Jennifer P; Noeldner, Steven P; Fabius, Dan; Goetzel, Ron Z; Anderson, David R

2016-01-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the stock performance of publicly traded companies that received high scores on the HERO Employee Health Management Best Practices Scorecard in Collaboration with Mercer© based on their implementation of evidence-based workplace health promotion practices. A portfolio of companies that received high scores in a corporate health and wellness self-assessment was simulated based on past market performance and compared with past performance of companies represented on the Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 Index. Stock values for a portfolio of companies that received high scores in a corporate health and wellness self-assessment appreciated by 235% compared with the S&P 500 Index appreciation of 159% over a 6-year simulation period. Robust investment in workforce health and well-being appears to be one of multiple practices pursued by high-performing, well-managed companies.

Correlation analysis between work-related musculoskeletal disorders and the nursing practice environment, quality of life, and social support in the nursing professionals

PubMed Central

Yan, Ping; Yang, Yi; Zhang, Li; Li, Fuye; Huang, Amei; Wang, Yanan; Dai, Yali; Yao, Hua

2018-01-01

Abstract We aim to analyze the correlated influential factors between work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and nursing practice environment and quality of life and social support. From January 2015 to October 2015, cluster sampling was performed on the nurses from 12 hospitals in the 6 areas in Xinjiang. The questionnaires including the modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, Practice Environment Scale (PES), the Mos 36-item Short Form Health Survey, and Social Support Rating Scale were used to investigate. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influential factors of WMSDs. The total prevalence of WMSDs was 79.52% in the nurses ever since the working occupation, which was mainly involved waist (64.83%), neck (61.83%), and shoulder (52.36%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated age (≥26 years), working in the Department of Surgery, Department of Critical Care, Outpatient Department, and Department of Anesthesia, working duration of >40 hours per week were the risk factors of WMSDs in the nurses. The physiological function (PF), body pain, total healthy condition, adequate working force and financial support, and social support were the protective factors of WMSDs. The prevalence of WMSDs in the nurses in Xinjiang Autonomous Region was high. PF, bodily pain, total healthy condition, having adequate staff and support resources to provide quality patient care, and social support were the protective factors of WMSDs in the nurses. PMID:29489648

Correlation analysis between work-related musculoskeletal disorders and the nursing practice environment, quality of life, and social support in the nursing professionals.

PubMed

Yan, Ping; Yang, Yi; Zhang, Li; Li, Fuye; Huang, Amei; Wang, Yanan; Dai, Yali; Yao, Hua

2018-03-01

We aim to analyze the correlated influential factors between work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and nursing practice environment and quality of life and social support.From January 2015 to October 2015, cluster sampling was performed on the nurses from 12 hospitals in the 6 areas in Xinjiang. The questionnaires including the modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, Practice Environment Scale (PES), the Mos 36-item Short Form Health Survey, and Social Support Rating Scale were used to investigate. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influential factors of WMSDs.The total prevalence of WMSDs was 79.52% in the nurses ever since the working occupation, which was mainly involved waist (64.83%), neck (61.83%), and shoulder (52.36%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated age (≥26 years), working in the Department of Surgery, Department of Critical Care, Outpatient Department, and Department of Anesthesia, working duration of >40 hours per week were the risk factors of WMSDs in the nurses. The physiological function (PF), body pain, total healthy condition, adequate working force and financial support, and social support were the protective factors of WMSDs.The prevalence of WMSDs in the nurses in Xinjiang Autonomous Region was high. PF, bodily pain, total healthy condition, having adequate staff and support resources to provide quality patient care, and social support were the protective factors of WMSDs in the nurses.

A review of best work-absence management and return-to-work practices for workers with musculoskeletal or common mental disorders.

PubMed

Durand, Marie-José; Corbière, Marc; Coutu, Marie-France; Reinharz, Daniel; Albert, Valérie

2014-01-01

Workplace absenteeism is still a curse for developed countries, and more systematic practices need to be adopted to address this issue. To review the literature on best practices for managing work absences related to musculoskeletal or common mental disorders. A review was conducted by performing a search in bibliographic databases and on work-disability research institute websites. Recommendations regarding work-absence management and return-to-work practices were extracted from all the retained documents and organized within a chronological framework. In total, 17 documents were analyzed, leading to identification of common work-absence management and return-to-work practices, the importance of a worker support approach, and recommended roles and responsibilities for stakeholders. These practices were then integrated into a six-step process: (1) time off and recovery period; (2) initial contact with the worker; (3) evaluation of the worker and his job tasks; (4) development of a return-to-work plan with accommodations; (5) work resumption, and (6) follow-up of the return-to-work process. Based on this review, we constructed a comprehensive work-absence management and return-to-work process designed to assist organizations. Our results indicate that such a process must be included within a broader policy of health promotion and job retention. Adaptations will be required for implementation in the workplace.

Psychical Contexts of Subjectivity and Performative Practices of Remuneration: Teaching Assistants' Narratives of Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lapping, Claudia; Glynos, Jason

2018-01-01

A range of sociological work has theorized neoliberal regulative regimes, suggesting the contradictions contained in the enactment of policy and foregrounding the painful effects of these processes on subjectivities produced within performative school cultures. This paper contributes to this body of work by tracing the movement of desire in…

Emotional intelligence, teamwork effectiveness, and job performance: the moderating role of job context.

PubMed

Farh, Crystal I C Chien; Seo, Myeong-Gu; Tesluk, Paul E

2012-07-01

We advance understanding of the role of ability-based emotional intelligence (EI) and its subdimensions in the workplace by examining the mechanisms and context-based boundary conditions of the EI-performance relationship. Using a trait activation framework, we theorize that employees with higher overall EI and emotional perception ability exhibit higher teamwork effectiveness (and subsequent job performance) when working in job contexts characterized by high managerial work demands because such contexts contain salient emotion-based cues that activate employees' emotional capabilities. A sample of 212 professionals from various organizations and industries indicated support for the salutary effect of EI, above and beyond the influence of personality, cognitive ability, emotional labor job demands, job complexity, and demographic control variables. Theoretical and practical implications of the potential value of EI for workplace outcomes under contexts involving managerial complexity are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

The contribution of distance education to health promotion in Chile.

PubMed

Salinas, Judith; Muñoz, Carolina; Albagli, Andrea; Araya, Gloria; Vio, Fernando

2017-10-01

The objective of this paper is to present the distance education's contribution to developing health promotion in Chile, through evaluation of a postgraduate certificate program for professionals, and a training course for nurse technicians working in primary healthcare, with an 8-month follow-up after program completion. The program methodology was participatory, interactive and reflective, with mentoring support, exercises, group work and discussions as well as content pertinent to the needs of practice. The evaluation was quali-quantitative with an analysis of the student profile, the implementation process, outcomes at the end of the training and impacts on workplace changes. The results showed a high rate of student approval (87 and 76%), good academic performance and a high level of satisfaction with the methodology and knowledge delivered. The participants' final projects were adapted to local work places realities and were implemented by 62.6% of technicians and 43% of professionals, in addition to changes in work practices that favor health promotion. The level of fulfillment of participants' expectations was very high and the most frequent barriers to implementing the final project were lack of time and personnel, along with minimal support from management and low prioritization of health promotion. This study shows the effectiveness of a distance training model for professionals and technicians that can reach the most remote parts of the country, where there is no access to presencial training, with an educational program centered on work activities and current health challenges. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A case study of two exemplary biology teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treagust, David F.

Research has indicated that most science classrooms are not intellectually demanding and place little emphasis on small group discussions and laboratory activities. However, successful science programs and competent science teaching that can provide models for other science teachers do exist. This study sought to document the teaching practices of two exemplary biology teachers of grades 11 and 12 by means of an interpretive research methodology. Both teachers had a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the content they were to teach and had a range of teaching strategies that could be used without a great deal of thought. Their expectations for student performance were high, consistent, and firm. Students were expected to complete a high level of academic work in discussions, in problem work, and in laboratory activities, and were encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. A distinctive feature of these biology classes was the high level of managerial efficiency, where lessons were busy occasions for both teacher and students; students had little opportunity for off-task behavior. Both teachers actively monitored the behavior of both high- and low-ability students by moving around the room and speaking with individuals, while still maintaining control of the entire class. By manipulating questioning and the social environment, both teachers encouraged students to engage in work, gave effective praise to the whole class and to individuals, encouraged student input by referring to it, helped students to effectively use their time, and gave marks for completion of set work. Compared to research with less-successful teachers, these teaching behaviors contributed to exemplary practice.

An analysis of practice activities and instructional behaviours used by youth soccer coaches during practice: exploring the link between science and application.

PubMed

Ford, Paul R; Yates, Ian; Williams, A Mark

2010-03-01

We examined the practice activities and instructional behaviours employed by 25 youth soccer coaches during 70 different practice sessions. We evaluated the extent to which these activities and behaviours differ from those shown in contemporary research to best facilitate skill acquisition. Nine coaches worked with the under-9 years age group and eight coaches each with the under-13 and under-16 years age groups; nine of those coaches were employed at the elite level, nine at the sub-elite level, and seven at the non-elite level. Coaches had players spend more time in activities that were deemed less relevant to soccer match performance, termed "training form" (e.g. physical training, technique and skills practices), than activities deemed more relevant, termed "playing form" (e.g. small-sided/conditioned games and phase of play activities). Coaches provided high levels of instruction, feedback, and management, irrespective of the activity in which players engaged. Few differences in practice activities and instructional behaviours were reported across skill and age groups, implying the absence of any notable age- or skill-related progression. Findings are discussed with reference to recent research in the areas of skill acquisition, motor learning, and expert performance.

Evaluation of the validity of job exposure matrix for psychosocial factors at work.

PubMed

Solovieva, Svetlana; Pensola, Tiina; Kausto, Johanna; Shiri, Rahman; Heliövaara, Markku; Burdorf, Alex; Husgafvel-Pursiainen, Kirsti; Viikari-Juntura, Eira

2014-01-01

To study the performance of a developed job exposure matrix (JEM) for the assessment of psychosocial factors at work in terms of accuracy, possible misclassification bias and predictive ability to detect known associations with depression and low back pain (LBP). We utilized two large population surveys (the Health 2000 Study and the Finnish Work and Health Surveys), one to construct the JEM and another to test matrix performance. In the first study, information on job demands, job control, monotonous work and social support at work was collected via face-to-face interviews. Job strain was operationalized based on job demands and job control using quadrant approach. In the second study, the sensitivity and specificity were estimated applying a Bayesian approach. The magnitude of misclassification error was examined by calculating the biased odds ratios as a function of the sensitivity and specificity of the JEM and fixed true prevalence and odds ratios. Finally, we adjusted for misclassification error the observed associations between JEM measures and selected health outcomes. The matrix showed a good accuracy for job control and job strain, while its performance for other exposures was relatively low. Without correction for exposure misclassification, the JEM was able to detect the association between job strain and depression in men and between monotonous work and LBP in both genders. Our results suggest that JEM more accurately identifies occupations with low control and high strain than those with high demands or low social support. Overall, the present JEM is a useful source of job-level psychosocial exposures in epidemiological studies lacking individual-level exposure information. Furthermore, we showed the applicability of a Bayesian approach in the evaluation of the performance of the JEM in a situation where, in practice, no gold standard of exposure assessment exists.

Are interventions to enhance communication performance in allied health professionals effective, and how should they be delivered? Direct and indirect evidence.

PubMed

Parry, Ruth

2008-11-01

(1) To systematically review direct evidence about effects of interventions to improve communication performance amongst allied health professionals (AHPs). (2) To summarise indirect evidence pertinent to design, delivery, effects, and evaluation of such interventions. (1) Systematic search and narrative review of evaluations of interventions for AHPs. (2) Systematic search and narrative summary of reviews of corresponding interventions in medicine and nursing. Five reports of interventions for AHPs were included. All reported positive effects of training. Strongest evidence was from two small-n within-subjects controlled studies that evaluated highly specific training for qualified therapists in brain injury rehabilitation environments. Indirect evidence from nine systematic reviews in medicine and nursing indicated positive effects of communication training. Robust designs yielded smallest effect sizes. Interventions based on strong conceptual and empirical foundations and targeting specific areas of practice appeared more effective. Strongest evidence is for performance-based training for clinicians already working with patients. More empirical and conceptual understandings about AHPs' communication practices are required so as to improve the design, delivery and subsequent evaluation of communication training amongst these important healthcare workers. Preliminary and indirect evidence suggest it is possible to positively influence AHP clinicians' performance and patients' outcomes if training interventions are specific, founded on evidence about effective practice and delivered using practical modalities.

High-pressure endurable flexible tactile actuator based on microstructured dielectric elastomer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pyo, Dongbum; Ryu, Semin; Kyung, Ki-Uk; Yun, Sungryul; Kwon, Dong-Soo

2018-02-01

We demonstrate a robust flexible tactile actuator that is capable of working under high external pressures. The tactile actuator is based on a pyramidal microstructured dielectric elastomer layer inducing variation in both mechanical and dielectric properties. The vibrational performance of the actuator can be modulated by changing the geometric parameter of the microstructures. We evaluated the performance of the actuator under high-pressure loads up to 25 kPa, which is over the typical range of pressure applied when humans touch or manipulate objects. Due to the benefit of nonlinearity of the pyramidal structure, the actuator could maintain high mechanical output under various external pressures in the frequency range of 100-200 Hz, which is the most sensitive to vibration acceleration for human finger pads. The responses are not only fast, reversible, and highly durable under consecutive cyclic operations, but also large enough to impart perceivable vibrations for haptic feedback on practical wearable device applications.

Exploring the cost-utility of stratified primary care management for low back pain compared with current best practice within risk-defined subgroups.

PubMed

Whitehurst, David G T; Bryan, Stirling; Lewis, Martyn; Hill, Jonathan; Hay, Elaine M

2012-11-01

Stratified management for low back pain according to patients' prognosis and matched care pathways has been shown to be an effective treatment approach in primary care. The aim of this within-trial study was to determine the economic implications of providing such an intervention, compared with non-stratified current best practice, within specific risk-defined subgroups (low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk). Within a cost-utility framework, the base-case analysis estimated the incremental healthcare cost per additional quality-adjusted life year (QALY), using the EQ-5D to generate QALYs, for each risk-defined subgroup. Uncertainty was explored with cost-utility planes and acceptability curves. Sensitivity analyses were performed to consider alternative costing methodologies, including the assessment of societal loss relating to work absence and the incorporation of generic (ie, non-back pain) healthcare utilisation. The stratified management approach was a cost-effective treatment strategy compared with current best practice within each risk-defined subgroup, exhibiting dominance (greater benefit and lower costs) for medium-risk patients and acceptable incremental cost to utility ratios for low-risk and high-risk patients. The likelihood that stratified care provides a cost-effective use of resources exceeds 90% at willingness-to-pay thresholds of £4000 (≈ 4500; $6500) per additional QALY for the medium-risk and high-risk groups. Patients receiving stratified care also reported fewer back pain-related days off work in all three subgroups. Compared with current best practice, stratified primary care management for low back pain provides a highly cost-effective use of resources across all risk-defined subgroups.

Associations between Otolaryngology Applicant Characteristics and Future Performance in Residency or Practice: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Bowe, Sarah N; Laury, Adrienne M; Gray, Stacey T

2017-06-01

Objective This systematic review aims to evaluate which applicant characteristics available to an otolaryngology selection committee are associated with future performance in residency or practice. Data Sources PubMed, Scopus, ERIC, Health Business, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and SocINDEX. Review Methods Study eligibility was performed by 2 independent investigators in accordance with the PRISMA protocol (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses). Data obtained from each article included research questions, study design, predictors, outcomes, statistical analysis, and results/findings. Study bias was assessed with the Quality in Prognosis Studies tool. Results The initial search identified 439 abstracts. Six articles fulfilled all inclusion and exclusion criteria. All studies were retrospective cohort studies (level 4). Overall, the studies yielded relatively few criteria that correlated with residency success, with generally conflicting results. Most studies were found to have a high risk of bias. Conclusion Previous resident selection research has lacked a theoretical background, thus predisposing this work to inconsistent results and high risk of bias. The included studies provide historical insight into the predictors and criteria (eg, outcomes) previously deemed pertinent by the otolaryngology field. Additional research is needed, possibly integrating aspects of personnel selection, to engage in an evidence-based approach to identify highly qualified candidates who will succeed as future otolaryngologists.

Alternative Fuels Data Center

Science.gov Websites

technologies and operational practices which increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions from goods movement . EPA provides partners with performance benchmarking tools, fleet management best practices, technology is working with partners to test and verify advanced technologies and operational practices that save

Effect of cross-link density on carbon dioxide separation in polydimethylsiloxane-norbornene membranes

DOE PAGES

Hong, Tao; Niu, Zhenbin; Hu, Xunxiang; ...

2015-10-20

The development of high performance materials for CO 2 separation and capture will significantly contribute to a solution for climate change. In this work, (bicycloheptenyl) ethyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMSPNB) membranes with varied cross-link densities were synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization. The developed polymer membranes show higher permeability and better selectivity than those of conventional cross-linked PDMS membrane. The achieved performance (CO 2 permeability ~ 6800 Barrer and CO 2/N 2 selectivity ~ 14) is very promising for practical applications. The key to achieving this high performance is the use of an in-situ cross-linking method of the difunctional PDMS macromonomers, whichmore » provides lightly cross-linked membranes. By combining positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, broadband dielectric spectroscopy and gas solubility measurements, we have elucidated the key parameters necessary for achieving their excellent performance.« less

Precarity and Preparedness: Non-Adherence as Institutional Work in Diagnosing and Treating Malaria in Uganda.

PubMed

Umlauf, René

2017-07-01

Access to anti-malarial drugs is increasingly governed by novel regulation technologies like rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). However, high rates of non-adherence particularly to negative RDT results have been reported, threatening the cost-effectiveness of the two interrelated goals of improving diagnosis and reducing the over-prescription of expensive anti-malarial drugs. Below I set out to reconstruct prior treatment forms like presumptive treatment of malaria by paying particular attention to their institutional groundings. I show how novel regulation technologies affect existing institutions of care and argue that the institutional work of presumptive treatment goes beyond the diagnosis and treatment of a currently observed fever episode. Instead, in contexts of precarity, through what I will call "practices of preparedness," presumptive treatment includes a variety of practices, performances, temporalities, and opportunities that allow individuals to prepare for future episodes of fever.

Variations in colonoscopy practice in Europe: a multicentre descriptive study (EPAGE).

PubMed

Harris, Jennifer K; Vader, John-Paul; Wietlisbach, Vincent; Burnand, Bernard; Gonvers, Jean-Jacques; Froehlich, Florian

2007-01-01

The volume of colonoscopies performed is increasing and differences in colonoscopy practice over time and between centres have been reported. Examination of current practice is important for bench-marking quality. The objective of this study was to examine variations in colonoscopy practice in endoscopy centres internationally. This observational study prospectively included consecutive patients referred for colonoscopy from 21 centres in 11 countries. Patient, procedure and centre characteristics were collected through questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were performed and the variation between centres while controlling for case-mix was examined. A total of 6004 patients were included in the study. Most colonoscopies (93%; range between centres 70-100%) were performed for diagnostic purposes. The proportion of main indications for colonoscopy showed wide variations between centres, the two most common indications, surveillance and haematochezia, ranging between 7-24% and 5-38%, respectively. High-quality cleansing occurred in 74% (range 51-94%) of patients, and 30% (range 0-100%) of patients received deep sedation. Three-quarters (range 0-100%) of the patients were monitored during colonoscopy, and one-quarter (range 14-35%) underwent polypectomy. Colonoscopy was complete in 89% (range 69-98%) of patients and the median total duration was 20 min (range of centre medians 15-30 min). The variation between centres was not reduced when case-mix was controlled for. This study documented wide variations in colonoscopy practice between centres. Controlling for case-mix did not remove these variations, indicating that centre and procedure characteristics play a role. Centres generally were within the existing guidelines, although there is still some work to be done to ensure that all centres attain the goal of providing high-quality colonoscopy.

Learning in practice: experiences and perceptions of high-scoring physicians.

PubMed

Sargeant, Joan; Mann, Karen; Sinclair, Douglas; Ferrier, Suzanne; Muirhead, Philip; van der Vleuten, Cees; Metsemakers, Job

2006-07-01

To increase understanding of informal learning in practice (e.g., consulting with colleagues, reading journals) through exploring the experiences and perceptions of physicians perceived to be performing well. Objectives were to find out how physicians learned in practice and maintained their competence, and how they learned about the communication skills domain specifically. Of 142 family physicians participating in a formal multisource feedback (360-degree) formative assessment, 25 receiving high scores were invited to participate in interviews conducted in 2003 at Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. Twelve responded. Interviews were 1.5 hours each, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by the research team using accepted qualitative procedures. While formal learning appeared important to most, informal learning, especially through patients and colleagues, appeared to be fundamental. The physicians appeared to learn intentionally from practice and work experiences, and reflection appeared integral to learning and monitoring the impact of learning. Two findings were surprising: participants' conceptions of competence and perceptions that communication skills were innate rather than learned. These physicians' ways of intentional learning from practice concur with current models of informal learning. However, informal learning is largely unrecognized by formal institutions. Additionally, the physicians did not in general share notions of professional competence held by educators and others in authority. These findings suggest the need to make implicit content and learning processes more explicit. Additional research areas include exploring whether physicians across the range of performance levels demonstrate similar processes of reflective learning.

Teaching Performance Improvement: An Opportunity for Continuing Medical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staker, Larry V.

2003-01-01

Practicing physicians generally are not engaged in either the methods of performance improvement for health care or the measurement and reporting of clinical outcomes. The principal reasons are lack of compensation for such work, the perception that the work of performance improvement adds no value and is a waste of time, the lack of knowledge and…

Impact of a Professional Learning Community on Teacher Collaboration, Teaching Practice, and Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Iris J.

2011-01-01

Best instructional practice occurs when teachers work collaboratively. Many teachers in the target elementary school appeared to work in isolation, struggling to respond to the needs of low-performing students without the benefit of collaboration with colleagues. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to investigate the impact of a…

Sport science internships for learning: a critical view.

PubMed

Malone, James J

2017-12-01

Sport science has gained vast popularity with students who have an interest in both physiology and the underpinning mechanisms of exercise concerning performance and health. The high numbers of graduates each year, coupled with the low number of graduate positions working in sports, has led to a high level of competition between students. To stand out from the crowd, sport science students may undertake an internship placement as part of their course, designed to enhance theoretical, practical, and soft skills in an applied setting. In the present article, we highlight some of the positives and negatives of sport science internships and ways in which they can be implemented and facilitated. Suggestions have also been provided to make students more aware of the reality of working in professional sports, which includes awareness of the potential for long and unsociable hours of work. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

ACOEM practice guidelines: opioids and safety-sensitive work.

PubMed

Hegmann, Kurt T; Weiss, Michael S; Bowden, Kirk; Branco, Fernando; DuBrueler, Kimberly; Els, Charl; Mandel, Steven; McKinney, David W; Miguel, Rafael; Mueller, Kathryn L; Nadig, Robert J; Schaffer, Michael I; Studt, Larry; Talmage, James B; Travis, Russell L; Winters, Thomas; Thiese, Matthew S; Harris, Jeffrey S

2014-07-01

ACOEM has updated the treatment guidelines concerning opioids. This report highlights the safety-sensitive work recommendation that has been developed. Comprehensive literature reviews were accomplished with article abstraction, critiquing, grading, evidence table compilation, and guideline finalization by a multidisciplinary expert panel to develop evidence-based guidance. A total of 12 moderate-quality studies were identified to address motor vehicle crash risk, and none regarding other work among opioid-using patients. Acute or chronic opioid use is not recommended for patients who perform safety-sensitive jobs. These jobs include operating motor vehicles, other modes of transportation, forklift driving, overhead crane operation, heavy equipment operation and tasks involving high levels of cognitive function and judgment. Quality evidence consistently demonstrates increased risk of vehicle crashes and is recommended as the surrogate for other safety-sensitive work tasks.

What attributions do Australian high-performing general practices make for their success? Applying the clinical microsystems framework: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Dunham, Annette H; Dunbar, James A; Johnson, Julie K; Fuller, Jeff; Morgan, Mark; Ford, Dale

2018-01-01

Objectives To identify the success attributions of high-performing Australian general practices and the enablers and barriers they envisage for practices wishing to emulate them. Design Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and content analysis of the data. Responses were recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded according to success characteristics of high-performing clinical microsystems. Setting Primary healthcare with the participating general practices representing all Australian states and territories, and representing metropolitan and rural locations. Participants Twenty-two general practices identified as high performing via a number of success criteria. The 52 participants were 19 general practitioners, 18 practice managers and 15 practice nurses. Results Participants most frequently attributed success to the interdependence of the team members, patient-focused care and leadership of the practice. They most often signalled practice leadership, team interdependence and staff focus as enablers that other organisations would need to emulate their success. They most frequently identified barriers that might be encountered in the form of potential deficits or limitations in practice leadership, staff focus and mesosystem support. Conclusions Practice leaders need to empower their teams to take action through providing inclusive leadership that facilitates team interdependence. Mesosystem support for quality improvement in general practice should focus on enabling this leadership and team building, thereby ensuring improvement efforts are converted into effective healthcare provision. PMID:29643162

Associations of Organizational Safety Practices and Culture With Physical Workload, Perceptions About Work, and Work-Related Injury and Symptoms Among Hospital Nurses.

PubMed

Lee, Soo-Jeong; Lee, Joung Hee

The study aim was to examine the relationships of organizational safety practices with nurses' perceptions about job and risk and experiences of work-related injury and symptoms. Nursing professions report high rates of work-related injuries. Organizational safety practices have been linked to workers' safety outcomes and perceptions about work. This study analyzed data from a random sample of 280 California RNs in a cross-sectional statewide survey. Data were collected by both postal and online surveys. Higher perceptions of organizational safety practices (safety climate, ergonomic practices, people-oriented culture) were significantly associated with lower physical workload, lower job strain, higher job satisfaction, lower risk perception, and lower work-related injury and symptom experiences. Ergonomic practices and people-oriented culture were associated with less intention of leaving job. Organizational safety practices may play a pivotal role in improving positive perceptions about jobs, reducing injury risks, and promoting nurse retention.

What is occupational therapy’s role in addressing sleep problems among older adults?

PubMed Central

Leland, Natalie E.; Marcione, Nicole; Niemiec, Stacey L. Schepens; Don Fogelberg, Kaivalya Kelkar

2014-01-01

Sleep problems, prevalent among older adults, are associated with poor outcomes and high healthcare costs. In 2008, rest and sleep became its own area of occupation in the AOTA Occupational Therapy Practice Framework. This scoping review examined a broad context of sleep research in order to highlight efficacious interventions for older adults that fall within the occupational therapy scope of practice and present an agenda for research and practice. Four sleep intervention areas clearly aligned with the Practice Framework, including cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, physical activity, and multi-component interventions. Occupational therapy is primed to address sleep problems by targeting the context and environment, performance patterns, and limited engagement in evening activities that may contribute to poor sleep. Occupational therapy researchers and clinicians need to work collaboratively to establish the evidence-base for occupation-centered sleep interventions in order to improve the health and quality of life of the older adult. PMID:24844879

Why Study Time Does Not Predict Grade Point Average across College Students: Implications of Deliberate Practice for Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plant, E. Ashby; Ericsson, K. Anders; Hill, Len; Asberg, Kia

2005-01-01

The current work draws upon the theoretical framework of deliberate practice in order to clarify why the amount of study by college students is a poor predictor of academic performance. A model was proposed where performance in college, both cumulatively and for a current semester, was jointly determined by previous knowledge and skills as well as…

Introducing quality improvement to pre-qualification nursing students: evaluation of an experiential programme.

PubMed

Kyrkjebø, J M; Hanssen, T A; Haugland, B Ø

2001-12-01

To evaluate a programme introducing quality improvement (QI) in nursing education. Betanien College of Nursing and clinical practices at hospitals in Bergen. 52 nursing students from a second year class working in 16 groups undertaking hospital based practical studies. Second year nursing students were assigned to follow a patient during a day's work and to record the processes of care from the patient's perspective. Data collected included waiting times, patient information, people in contact with the patient, investigations, and procedures performed. Students also identified aspects of practice that could be improved. They then attended a 2 day theoretical introductory course in QI and each group produced flow charts, cause/effect diagrams, and outlines of quality goals using structure, process, and results criteria to describe potential improvements. Each group produced a report of their findings. Main measures-A two-part questionnaire completed by the students before and after the intervention was used to assess the development of their understanding of QI. Evidence that students could apply a range of QI tools and techniques in the specific setting of a hospital ward was assessed from the final reports of their clinical attachments. The students had a significantly better knowledge of QI after the introductory course and group work than before it, and most students indicated that they considered the topic highly relevant for their later career. They reported that it was quite useful to observe one patient throughout one shift and, to some extent, they learned something new. Students found the introductory course and working in groups useful, and most thought the programme should be included in the curriculum for other nursing students. They considered it important for nurses in general to have knowledge about QI, indicating a high perceived relevance of the course. All 16 groups delivered reports of their group work which were approved by the tutors. Through the reports, all the groups demonstrated knowledge and ability to apply tools and techniques in their practical studies in a hospital setting. The introduction of a short experience-based programme into the practical studies of second year nursing students enabled them to learn about the concepts, tools, and techniques of continuous QI in a way that should provide them with the skills to undertake it as part of routine practice.

Academic Work and Performativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenny, John

2017-01-01

Neoliberal reforms in higher education have resulted in corporate managerial practices in universities and a drive for efficiency and productivity in teaching and research. As a result, there has been an intensification of academic work, increased stress for academics and an emphasis on accountability and performativity in universities. This paper…

Grounding our practice in nursing professional development.

PubMed

Dickerson, Pamela S

2014-07-01

The Nursing Professional Development: Scope and Standards of Practice is foundational to the work of nurses in a continuing professional development role. Use of the practice and professional performance aspects of the standards supports both quality of learning activities and the continuous growth process of nurses engaged in this area of practice. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

High-Energy/Power and Low-Temperature Cathode for Sodium-Ion Batteries: In Situ XRD Study and Superior Full-Cell Performance.

PubMed

Guo, Jin-Zhi; Wang, Peng-Fei; Wu, Xing-Long; Zhang, Xiao-Hua; Yan, Qingyu; Chen, Hong; Zhang, Jing-Ping; Guo, Yu-Guo

2017-09-01

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are still confronted with several major challenges, including low energy and power densities, short-term cycle life, and poor low-temperature performance, which severely hinder their practical applications. Here, a high-voltage cathode composed of Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 2 O 2 F nano-tetraprisms (NVPF-NTP) is proposed to enhance the energy density of SIBs. The prepared NVPF-NTP exhibits two high working plateaux at about 4.01 and 3.60 V versus the Na + /Na with a specific capacity of 127.8 mA h g -1 . The energy density of NVPF-NTP reaches up to 486 W h kg -1 , which is higher than the majority of other cathode materials previously reported for SIBs. Moreover, due to the low strain (≈2.56% volumetric variation) and superior Na transport kinetics in Na intercalation/extraction processes, as demonstrated by in situ X-ray diffraction, galvanostatic intermittent titration technique, and cyclic voltammetry at varied scan rates, the NVPF-NTP shows long-term cycle life, superior low-temperature performance, and outstanding high-rate capabilities. The comparison of Ragone plots further discloses that NVPF-NTP presents the best power performance among the state-of-the-art cathode materials for SIBs. More importantly, when coupled with an Sb-based anode, the fabricated sodium-ion full-cells also exhibit excellent rate and cycling performances, thus providing a preview of their practical application. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design And Demonstration Of Band-limited Hybrid Coronagraph Masks For Space Imaging And Spectroscopy Of Exoplanetary Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trauger, John T.; Moody, D. C.

2010-05-01

Among the leading architectures for the imaging and spectroscopy of nearby exoplanetary systems is the space coronagraph, which provides in principle very high (10 billion to one) suppression of diffracted and scattered starlight at very small separations (a few tenths of arcseconds) from the star. The concept of a band-limited Lyot coronagraph, introduced by Kuchner and Traub (2002), provides the theoretical basis for mathematically perfect starlight suppression. In practice, the optical characteristics of available materials and practical aspects of the fabrication processes impose limitations on contrast and spectral bandwidths that are achievable in the real world. Nevertheless, the band-limited Lyot coronagraph approach has produced the best laboratory validated performance among known types of internal coronagraph for contrast and spectral bandwidth, and alone it has demonstrated high-contrast imaging performance at levels required for exoplanet exploration. We report the design and fabrication of hybrid focal-plane masks for Lyot coronagraphy, composed of thickness-profiled metallic and dielectric thin films, vacuum deposited on a glass substrate. These masks are in principle band-limited in both the real and imaginary parts of the complex amplitude characteristics. Together with a deformable mirror for control of wavefront phase, these masks have the potential for contrast performance better than 10-9 at inner working angles of 3 lambda/D or better over spectral bandwidths of 20% or more, and with throughput efficiencies up to 60%. We report recent laboratory demonstrations of high contrast with nickel-dielectric masks, including the demonstration of 2x10-9 contrast with a 3 lambda/D inner working angle over 20% spectral bandwidths.

The development of differential inductors using double air-bridge structure based on integrated passive device technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; Yao, Zhao; Fu, Xiao-Qian; Li, Zhi-Ming; Shan, Fu-Kai; Wang, Cong

2017-05-01

Recently, integrated passive devices have become increasingly popular; inductor realization, in particular, offers interesting high performance for RF modules and systems. In this paper, a development of differential inductor fabricated by integrated passive devices technology using a double air-bridge structure is presented. A study of the model development of the differential inductor is first demonstrated. In this model section, a segment box analysis method is applied to provide a clear presentation of the differential inductor. Compared with other work that only shows a brief description of the process, the integrated passive devices process used to fabricate the inductor in this study is elaborated on. Finally, a characterization of differential inductors with different physical layout parameters is illustrated based on inductance and quality factors, which provides a valuable reference for realizing high performance. The proposed work provides a good solution for the design, fabrication and practical application of RF modules and systems.

High Voltage Insulation Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherb, V.; Rogalla, K.; Gollor, M.

2008-09-01

In preparation of new Electronic Power Conditioners (EPC's) for Travelling Wave Tub Amplifiers (TWTA's) on telecom satellites a study for the development of new high voltage insulation technology is performed. The initiative is mandatory to allow compact designs and to enable higher operating voltages. In a first task a market analysis was performed, comparing different materials with respect to their properties and processes. A hierarchy of selection criteria was established and finally five material candidates (4 Epoxy resins and 1 Polyurethane resin) were selected to be further investigated in the test program. Samples for the test program were designed to represent core elements of an EPC, the high voltage transformer and Printed Circuit Boards of the high voltage section. All five materials were assessed in the practical work flow of the potting process and electrical, mechanical, thermal and lifetime testing was performed. Although the lifetime tests results were overlayed by a larges scatter, finally two candidates have been identified for use in a subsequent qualification program. This activity forms part of element 5 of the ESA ARTES Programme.

Process evaluation of the Data-driven Quality Improvement in Primary Care (DQIP) trial: quantitative examination of variation between practices in recruitment, implementation and effectiveness.

PubMed

Dreischulte, Tobias; Grant, Aileen; Hapca, Adrian; Guthrie, Bruce

2018-01-05

The cluster randomised trial of the Data-driven Quality Improvement in Primary Care (DQIP) intervention showed that education, informatics and financial incentives for general medical practices to review patients with ongoing high-risk prescribing of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antiplatelets reduced the primary end point of high-risk prescribing by 37%, where both ongoing and new high-risk prescribing were significantly reduced. This quantitative process evaluation examined practice factors associated with (1) participation in the DQIP trial, (2) review activity (extent and nature of documented reviews) and (3) practice level effectiveness (relative reductions in the primary end point). Invited practices recruited (n=33) and not recruited (n=32) to the DQIP trial in Scotland, UK. (1) Characteristics of recruited versus non-recruited practices. Associations of (2) practice characteristics and 'adoption' (self-reported implementation work done by practices) with documented review activity and (3) of practice characteristics, DQIP adoption and review activity with effectiveness. (1) Recruited practices had lower performance in the quality and outcomes framework than those declining participation. (2) Not being an approved general practitioner training practice and higher self-reported adoption were significantly associated with higher review activity. (3) Effectiveness ranged from a relative increase in high-risk prescribing of 24.1% to a relative reduction of 77.2%. High-risk prescribing and DQIP adoption (but not documented review activity) were significantly associated with greater effectiveness in the final multivariate model, explaining 64.0% of variation in effectiveness. Intervention implementation and effectiveness of the DQIP intervention varied substantially between practices. Although the DQIP intervention primarily targeted review of ongoing high-risk prescribing, the finding that self-reported DQIP adoption was a stronger predictor of effectiveness than documented review activity supports that reducing initiation and/or re-initiation of high-risk prescribing is key to its effectiveness. NCT01425502; Post-results. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Evaluation and Improvement of the Nurse Satisfactory Status in a Tertiary Hospital using the Professional Practice Environment Scale.

PubMed

Liu, Jun; Zhou, Hui; Yang, Xiaoqin

2017-02-18

The present study was performed to quantitatively examine nurse satisfaction, to investigate the associated factors influencing satisfaction, and to evaluate the effect of improvement measures based on these factors. A survey using the 38-item Chinese version of the Practice Environment Scale (CPPE-38) was performed in a university-affiliated tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China in 2013. Linear regression analysis was performed to screen for associated factors related to each CPPE-3 score and the total satisfaction score. Several improvement measures were established to improve nurse satisfaction, and the CPPE-38 survey was again performed in 2015 to evaluate the effect of these improvement measures. A total of 1,050 respondents were recruited in 2013, with a response rate of 87.6%. The total satisfaction score of the CPPE-38 was 2.99±0.64. The lowest score in a subscale of the CPPE-38 was 2.40±0.59 for interpersonal interaction and the highest score was 3.15±0.40 for internal work motivation. Work location was associated with scores for work motivation and total satisfaction, while the highest education degree was associated with scores for internal relationship and autonomy. The scores for internal work motivation, control over practice, interpersonal interaction, and internal relationship and autonomy were significantly improved in 2015 after two years of improvement efforts, while the total satisfaction score was not significantly different compared to the 2013 score. Working location and education degree were two factors correlated with CPPE-38 scores in our hospital. Humanistic concerns, continuing education, and pay raise may improve the practice satisfaction of nurses.

76 FR 60774 - Discontinuance of Form CO in Registration Practices

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-30

....e., Form TX for nondramatic literary works, Form PA for works of the performing arts, Form VA for works of visual art, Form SR for sound recordings, and Form SE for serials). Additionally, the proposed...

Family medicine practice performance and knowledge management.

PubMed

Orzano, A John; McInerney, Claire R; Tallia, Alfred F; Scharf, Davida; Crabtree, Benjamin F

2008-01-01

Knowledge management (KM) is the process by which people in organizations find, share, and develop knowledge for action. KM affects performance by influencing work relationships to enhance learning and decision making. To identify how family medicine practices exhibit KM. A model and a template of KM concepts were derived from a comprehensive organizational literature review. Two higher and two lower performing family medicine practices were purposefully selected from existing comparative case studies based on prevention delivery rates and innovation. Interviews, fieldnotes of operations, and clinical encounters were coded independently using the template. Face-to-face discussions resolved coding differences. All practices had processes and tools for finding, sharing, and developing knowledge; however, KM overall was limited despite implementation of expensive technologies like an electronic medical record. Where present, KM processes and tools were used by individuals but not integrated throughout the organization. Loss of information was prominent, and finding knowledge was underdeveloped. The use of technical tools and developing knowledge by reconfiguration and measurement were particularly limited. Socially related tools, such as face-to-face-communication for sharing and developing knowledge, were more developed. As in other organizations, tool use was tailored for specific outcomes and leveraged by other organizational capacities. Differences in KM occur within family practices and between family practices and other organizations and may have implications for improving practice performance. Understanding interaction patterns of work relationships and KM may explain why costly technical or externally imposed "one size fits all" practice organizational interventions have had mixed results and limited sustainability.

Evaluation of frailty in older adults with cardiovascular disease: incorporating physical performance measures.

PubMed

Gary, Rebecca

2012-01-01

Rapid growth in the numbers of older adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is raising awareness and concern of the impact that common geriatric syndromes such as frailty may have on clinical outcomes, health-related quality of life, and rising economic burden associated with healthcare. Increasingly, frailty is recognized to be a highly prevalent and important risk factor that is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. A limitation of previous studies in patients with CVD has been the lack of a consistent definition and measures to evaluate frailty. In this review, building upon the work of Fried and colleagues, a definition of frailty is provided that is applicable for evaluating frailty in older adults with CVD. Simple, well-established performance-based measures widely used in comprehensive geriatric assessment are recommended that can be readily implemented by nurses in most practice settings. The limited studies conducted in older adults with CVD have shown physical performance measures to be highly predictive of clinical outcomes. Implications for practice and areas for future research are described for the growing numbers of elderly cardiac patients who are frail frailty and at risk for disability.

The Perceptions and Expectations Toward the Social Responsibility of Hospitals and Organizational Commitment of Nursing Staff.

PubMed

Hsieh, Sheng-Che; Chiu, Herng-Chia; Hsieh, Ya-Hui; Ho, Pei-Shen; Chen, Li-Chin; Chang, Wei-Chou

2016-09-01

The labor rights of medical workers in hospitals in Taiwan have been a key issue of discussion and controversy in recent years. Generally, poor work conditions and manpower shortages in hospitals have resulted in a vicious circle of severely overworked medical and healthcare staff and chronically low staffing and retention rates. This study employed corporate social responsibility as the conceptual framework of the social responsibility of hospitals to examine the perceptions and expectations of nurses toward the social responsibility practices of the hospital where they serve and to explore the relationship between these perceptions and organizational commitment (OC). The participants were all nurses who were employed by one medical group in southern Taiwan. Two hundred forty anonymous questionnaires, which included scales that were designed to measure the social responsibility of hospitals and OC, were distributed. Two hundred twenty-seven valid questionnaires were returned. Exploratory factor analysis was used to validate the dimension of the social responsibility of hospitals, and hierarchical multiregression analyses were used to verify the relationship between the perceptions of nurses with regard to the social responsibility practices of the hospital where nurses serve and OC. There were considerable differences between participants' perceptions and expectations toward the social responsibility of hospitals. The nurses with high perceptions toward the social responsibility practices of the hospital where they serve tended to have relatively high OC. Senior nurses who had high perceptions of the legal and rational, ethical, and economic dimensions of the social responsibility practices of the hospital where they serve exhibited relatively strong affective commitment. Nurses in junior positions who had high perceptions of the practices of ethical responsibilities exhibited relatively strong continuance commitment. Senior nurses who had high perceptions of the legal and rational, ethical, and discretionary dimensions of the social responsibility practices of the hospital where they serve exhibited relatively strong normative commitment. A friendly and humane work environment in hospital settings facilitates the implementation of social responsibility, which has been shown to foster higher levels of organizational identification and job performance among nurses and other hospital employees.

Which comes first: employee attitudes or organizational financial and market performance?

PubMed

Schneider, Benjamin; Hanges, Paul J; Smith, D Brent; Salvaggio, Amy Nicole

2003-10-01

Employee attitude data from 35 companies over 8 years were analyzed at the organizational level of analysis against financial (return on assets; ROA) and market performance (earnings per share: EPS) data using lagged analyses permitting exploration of priority in likely causal ordering. Analyses revealed statistically significant and stable relationships across various time lags for 3 of 7 scales. Overall Job Satisfaction and Satisfaction With Security were predicted by ROA and EPS more strongly than the reverse (although some of the reverse relationships were also significant); Satisfaction With Pay suggested a more reciprocal relationship with ROA and EPS. The discussion of results provides a preliminary framework for understanding issues surrounding employee attitudes, high-performance work practices, and organizational financial and market performance.

[The venture financing of scientifically-innovative projects: teaching experience in medical high school].

PubMed

Grachev, S V; Gorodnova, E A

2008-01-01

The authors presented an original material, devoted to first experience of teaching of theoretical bases of venture financing of scientifically-innovative projects in medical high school. The results and conclusions were based on data of the questionnaire performed by the authors. More than 90% of young scientist physicians recognized actuality of this problem for realization of their research work results into practice. Thus, experience of teaching of theoretical bases of venture financing of scientifically-innovative projects in medical high school proves reasonability of further development and inclusion the module "The venture financing of scientifically-innovative projects in biomedicine" in the training plan.

Practice assistants in primary care in Germany – associations with organizational attributes on job satisfaction

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Job satisfaction and organizational attributes in primary care teams are important issues as they affect clinical outcomes and the quality of health care provided. As practice assistants are an integral part of these teams it is important to gain insight into their views on job satisfaction and organizational attributes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the job satisfaction of practice assistants and the organizational attributes within their general practices in Germany and to explore the existence of possible associations. Methods This observational study was based on a job satisfaction survey and measurement of organizational attributes in general practices in the German federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. Job satisfaction was measured with the 10-item ‘Warr-Cook-Wall job satisfaction scale’. Organizational attributes were evaluated with the 21-items ‘survey of organizational attributes for primary care’ (SOAPC). Linear regression analyses were performed in which each of SOAPC scales and the overall score of SOAPC was treated as outcome variables. Results 586 practice assistants out of 794 respondents (73.8%) from 234 general practices completed the questionnaire. Practice assistants were mostly satisfied with their colleagues and least of all satisfied with their income and recognition for their work. The regression analysis showed that ‘freedom of working method’ and ‘recognition of work’, the employment status of practice assistants and the mode of practice were almost always significantly associated with each subscale and overall score of SOAPC. Conclusions Job satisfaction is highly associated with different aspects of organizational attributes for primary care (‘communication’, ‘decision-making’ and ‘stress’). Consequently, improved job satisfaction could lead to a better-organized primary care team. This implication should be investigated directly in further intervention studies with a special focus on improving the recognition for work and income. PMID:23915225

Prevalence of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 and Enterobacteriaceae on Hands of Workers in Halal Cattle Abattoirs in Peninsular Malaysia

PubMed Central

Shamsul, Bahri Mohd Tamrin; Adamu, Muhammad Tukur; Mohd Desa, Mohd Nasir; Khairani-Bejo, Siti

2016-01-01

Background Several occupational diseases of multiple origins are encountered among abattoir workers. Presence of indicator microorganisms (coliforms) on hands of workers can be used a gauge for hygienic practices. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed to assess the prevalence of E.coli and enterobacteriaceae among Halal abattoir workers in some government halal abattoirs of Malaysia. A total of one hundred and sixty-five hand swab samples were collected from workers of Halal abattoirs in Malaysia. The samples were subjected to microbiological analysis for characterisation and serotyping. Results The results have shown that no Escherichia coli O157:H7 was isolated on the hands of abattoir workers before and after work. However, a total prevalence of 9.7% was recorded for all samples during work. For non-O157:H7, total prevalence of 33.3% during work and 13% after work were obtained. High prevalence was recorded in sample taken during work from Tampin, Jasin and Kemaman (100% each) while low prevalence where observed in Shah Alam, Banting and Ipoh (20% each). Conclusions Based on the findings the hygienic practices of hand washing among the workers in few locations was found to be low especially after work. PMID:27904427

Prevalence of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 and Enterobacteriaceae on Hands of Workers in Halal Cattle Abattoirs in Peninsular Malaysia.

PubMed

Shamsul, Bahri Mohd Tamrin; Adamu, Muhammad Tukur; Mohd Desa, Mohd Nasir; Khairani-Bejo, Siti

2016-09-01

Several occupational diseases of multiple origins are encountered among abattoir workers. Presence of indicator microorganisms (coliforms) on hands of workers can be used a gauge for hygienic practices. A cross-sectional study was performed to assess the prevalence of E.coli and enterobacteriaceae among Halal abattoir workers in some government halal abattoirs of Malaysia. A total of one hundred and sixty-five hand swab samples were collected from workers of Halal abattoirs in Malaysia. The samples were subjected to microbiological analysis for characterisation and serotyping. The results have shown that no Escherichia coli O157:H7 was isolated on the hands of abattoir workers before and after work. However, a total prevalence of 9.7% was recorded for all samples during work. For non-O157:H7, total prevalence of 33.3% during work and 13% after work were obtained. High prevalence was recorded in sample taken during work from Tampin, Jasin and Kemaman (100% each) while low prevalence where observed in Shah Alam, Banting and Ipoh (20% each). Based on the findings the hygienic practices of hand washing among the workers in few locations was found to be low especially after work.

Policy Levers Key for Primary Health Care Organizations to Support Primary Care Practices in Meeting Medical Home Expectations: Comparing Leading States to the Australian Experience.

PubMed

Takach, Mary

2016-10-01

Several countries with highly ranked delivery systems have implemented locally-based, publicly-funded primary health care organizations (PHCOs) as vehicles to strengthen their primary care foundations. In the United States, state governments have started down a similar pathway with models that share similarities with international PHCOs. The objective of this study was to determine if these kinds of organizations were working with primary care practices to improve their ability to provide comprehensive, coordinated, and accessible patient-centered care that met quality, safety, and efficiency outcomes-all core attributes of a medical home. This qualitative study looked at 4 different PHCO models-3 from the United States and 1 from Australia-with similar objectives and scope. Primary and secondary data included semi-structured interviews with 26 PHCOs and a review of government documents. The study found that the 4 PHCO models were engaging practices to meet a number of medical home expectations, but the US PHCOs were more uniform in efforts to work with practices and focused on arranging services to meet the needs of complex patients. There was significant variation in level of effort between the Australian PHCOs. These differences can be explained through the state governments' selection of payment models and use of data frameworks to support collaboration and incentivize performance of both PHCOs and practices. These findings offer policy lessons to inform health reform efforts under way to better capitalize on the potential of PHCOs to support a high-functioning primary health foundation as an essential component to a reformed health system.

Litigations and the Obstetrician in Clinical Practice

PubMed Central

Adinma, JIB

2016-01-01

The expectation of obstetrics is a perfect outcome. Obstetrics malpractice can cause morbidity and mortality that may engender litigation. Globally, increasing trend to litigation in obstetrics practice has resulted in high indemnity cost to the obstetrician with consequent frustration and overall danger to the future of obstetrics practice. The objective was to review litigations and the Obstetrician in Clinical Practice, highlighting medical ethics, federation of gynecology and obstetrics (FIGO’s) ethical responsibility guideline on women's sexual and reproductive health and right; examine the relationship between medical ethics and medical laws; X-ray medical negligence and litigable obstetrics malpractices; and make recommendation towards the improvement of obstetrics practices to avert misconduct that would lead to litigation. Review involves a literature search on the internet in relevant journals, textbooks, and monographs. Knowledge and application of medical ethics are important to the obstetricians to avert medical negligence that will lead to litigation. A medical negligence can occur in any of the three triads of medicare viz: Diagnosis, advice/counseling, and treatment. Lawsuits in obstetrics generally center on errors of omission or commission especially in relation to the failure to perform caesarean section or to perform the operation early enough. Fear of litigation, high indemnity cost, and long working hours are among the main reasons given by obstetricians for ceasing obstetrics practice. Increasing global trend in litigation with high indemnity cost to the obstetrician is likely to jeopardize the future of obstetrics care especially in countries without medical insurance coverage for health practitioners. Litigation in obstetrics can be prevented through the Obstetrician's mindfulness of its possibility; acquainting themselves of the medical laws and guidelines related to their practice; ensuring adequate communication with, and consent of patients during treatment together with proper and correct documentation of cases. The supervision of resident-in-training, development and implementation of obstetrics protocol, and continuing medical education of obstetricians are also important factors to the prevention of litigation in obstetrics. PMID:27213088

Promising Homework Practices: Teachers' Perspectives on Making Homework Work for Newcomer Immigrant Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bang, Hee Jin

2012-01-01

This study examines the homework practices of eight teachers working in a high school designed to serve newcomer immigrant students. Individual structured interviews were conducted in which teachers working in an innovative setting explained their purposes of assigning homework, their beliefs about factors affecting their students' homework…

Embarking on performance improvement.

PubMed

Brown, Bobbi; Falk, Leslie Hough

2014-06-01

Healthcare organizations should approach performance improvement as a program, not a project. The program should be led by a guidance team that identifies goals, prioritizes work, and removes barriers to enable clinical improvement teams and work groups to realize performance improvements. A healthcare enterprise data warehouse can provide the initial foundation for the program analytics. Evidence-based best practices can help achieve improved outcomes and reduced costs.

Supporting Teachers and Technicians in the Delivery of High-Quality, Effective Practical Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langley, Mark

2014-01-01

Science is at heart a practical subject, but the perception of what makes good teaching and learning through practical science is often misunderstood. Through working with teachers on professional development courses at the UK's National Science Learning Centre, and drawing on work carried out by other organisations, we present some thoughts and…

Practical ultrasonic transducers for high-temperature applications using bismuth titanate and Ceramabind 830

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Janet L.; Batista, Caio F. G.; Tittmann, Bernhard R.

2018-04-01

Structural health monitoring of large valve bodies in high-temperature environments such as power plants faces several limitations: commercial transducers are not rated for such high temperatures, gel couplants will evaporate, and measurements cannot be made in-situ. To solve this, we have furthered the work of Ledford in applying a practical transducer in liquid form which hardens and air dries directly onto the substrate. The transducer material is a piezoceramic film composed of bismuth titanate and a high-temperature binding agent, Ceramabind 830. The effects of several fabrication conditions were studied to optimize transducer performance and ensure repeatability. These fabrication conditions include humidity, binder ratio, water ratio, substrate roughness, and film thickness. The final product is stable for both reactive and non-reactive substrates, has a quick fabrication time, and has an operating temperature up to the Curie temperature of BIT, 650°C, well beyond the safe operating temperature of PZT (150°C).

Are we on the same page? The performance effects of congruence between supervisor and group trust.

PubMed

Carter, Min Z; Mossholder, Kevin W

2015-09-01

Taking a multiple-stakeholder perspective, we examined the effects of supervisor-work group trust congruence on groups' task and contextual performance using a polynomial regression and response surface analytical framework. We expected motivation experienced by work groups to mediate the positive influence of trust congruence on performance. Although hypothesized congruence effects on performance were more strongly supported for affective rather than for cognitive trust, we found significant indirect effects on performance (via work group motivation) for both types of trust. We discuss the performance effects of trust congruence and incongruence between supervisors and work groups, as well as implications for practice and future research. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Work-based physiological assessment of physically-demanding trades: a methodological overview.

PubMed

Taylor, Nigel A S; Groeller, Herb

2003-03-01

Technological advances, modified work practices, altered employment strategies, work-related injuries, and the rise in work-related litigation and compensation claims necessitate ongoing trade analysis research. Such research enables the identification and development of gender- and age-neutral skills, physiological attributes and employment standards required to satisfactorily perform critical trade tasks. This paper overviews a methodological approach which may be adopted when seeking to establish trade-specific physiological competencies for physically-demanding trades (occupations). A general template is presented for conducting a trade analyses within physically-demanding trades, such as those encountered within military or emergency service occupations. Two streams of analysis are recommended: the trade analysis and the task analysis. The former involves a progressive dissection of activities and skills into a series of specific tasks (elements), and results in a broad approximation of the types of trade duties, and the links between trade tasks. The latter, will lead to the determination of how a task is performed within a trade, and the physiological attributes required to satisfactorily perform that task. The approach described within this paper is designed to provide research outcomes which have high content, criterion-related and construct validities.

Using Google Docs to Enhance the Teacher Work Sample: Building e-Portfolios for Learning and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gugino, Jessica

2018-01-01

The use of teaching portfolios in teacher education programs is a widely accepted practice. This article describes how a traditional teacher work sample was transformed using the online platform, Google Docs. The use of online digital portfolios may help to satisfy both the need to evaluate teacher candidates' performance in special education…

Creativity and Conflict: How Theory and Practice Shape Student Identities in Design Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tynan, Jane; New, Christopher

2009-01-01

By exploring the role of student identities in shaping attitudes to learning, this study asks how design students draw on experience to work across theory and practice. It explores how a specific group of design undergraduate students in a UK university perform on two distinct learning experiences on their course: work placement and dissertation.…

Effect of task-oriented training and high-variability practice on gross motor performance and activities of daily living in children with spastic diplegia.

PubMed

Kwon, Hae-Yeon; Ahn, So-Yoon

2016-10-01

[Purpose] This study investigates how a task-oriented training and high-variability practice program can affect the gross motor performance and activities of daily living for children with spastic diplegia and provides an effective and reliable clinical database for future improvement of motor performances skills. [Subjects and Methods] This study randomly assigned seven children with spastic diplegia to each intervention group including that of a control group, task-oriented training group, and a high-variability practice group. The control group only received neurodevelopmental treatment for 40 minutes, while the other two intervention groups additionally implemented a task-oriented training and high-variability practice program for 8 weeks (twice a week, 60 min per session). To compare intra and inter-relationships of the three intervention groups, this study measured gross motor performance measure (GMPM) and functional independence measure for children (WeeFIM) before and after 8 weeks of training. [Results] There were statistically significant differences in the amount of change before and after the training among the three intervention groups for the gross motor performance measure and functional independence measure. [Conclusion] Applying high-variability practice in a task-oriented training course may be considered an efficient intervention method to improve motor performance skills that can tune to movement necessary for daily livelihood through motor experience and learning of new skills as well as change of tasks learned in a complex environment or similar situations to high-variability practice.

Using human factors engineering to improve patient safety in the cardiovascular operating room.

PubMed

Gurses, Ayse P; Martinez, Elizabeth A; Bauer, Laura; Kim, George; Lubomski, Lisa H; Marsteller, Jill A; Pennathur, Priyadarshini R; Goeschel, Chris; Pronovost, Peter J; Thompson, David

2012-01-01

Despite significant medical advances, cardiac surgery remains a high risk procedure. Sub-optimal work system design characteristics can contribute to the risks associated with cardiac surgery. However, hazards due to work system characteristics have not been identified in the cardiovascular operating room (CVOR) in sufficient detail to guide improvement efforts. The purpose of this study was to identify and categorize hazards (anything that has the potential to cause a preventable adverse patient safety event) in the CVOR. An interdisciplinary research team used prospective hazard identification methods including direct observations, contextual inquiry, and photographing to collect data in 5 hospitals for a total 22 cardiac surgeries. We performed thematic analysis of the qualitative data guided by a work system model. 60 categories of hazards such as practice variations, high workload, non-compliance with evidence-based guidelines, not including clinicians' in medical device purchasing decisions were found. Results indicated that hazards are common in cardiac surgery and should be eliminated or mitigated to improve patient safety. To improve patient safety in the CVOR, efforts should focus on creating a culture of safety, increasing compliance with evidence based infection control practices, improving communication and teamwork, and designing better tools and technologies through partnership among all stakeholders.

Evaluation Of Traffic Control Devices For Rural High-Speed Maintenance Work Zones

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-10-01

This report documents the first year activities of a two-year project in which various work zone traffic control devices, treatments, and practices were implemented and evaluated. The focus was on rural high-speed work zones. Nine work zones were stu...

On the use of high-frequency SCADA data for improved wind turbine performance monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, E.; Stephen, B.; Infield, D.; Melero, J. J.

2017-11-01

SCADA-based condition monitoring of wind turbines facilitates the move from costly corrective repairs towards more proactive maintenance strategies. In this work, we advocate the use of high-frequency SCADA data and quantile regression to build a cost effective performance monitoring tool. The benefits of the approach are demonstrated through the comparison between state-of-the-art deterministic power curve modelling techniques and the suggested probabilistic model. Detection capabilities are compared for low and high-frequency SCADA data, providing evidence for monitoring at higher resolutions. Operational data from healthy and faulty turbines are used to provide a practical example of usage with the proposed tool, effectively achieving the detection of an incipient gearbox malfunction at a time horizon of more than one month prior to the actual occurrence of the failure.

Highly Stretchable Supercapacitors Based on Aligned Carbon Nanotube/Molybdenum Disulfide Composites.

PubMed

Lv, Tian; Yao, Yao; Li, Ning; Chen, Tao

2016-08-01

Stretchable supercapacitors that can sustain their performance under unpredictable tensile force are important elements for practical applications of various portable and wearable electronics. However, the stretchability of most reported supercapacitors was often lower than 100 % because of the limitation of the electrodes used. Herein we developed all-solid-state supercapacitors with a stretchability as high as 240 % by using aligned carbon nanotube composites with compact structure as electrodes. By combined with pseudocapacitive molybdenum disulfide nanosheets, the newly developed supercapacitor showed a specific capacitance of 13.16 F cm(-3) , and also showed excellent cycling retention (98 %) after 10 000 charge-discharge cycles. This work also presents a general and effective approach in developing high-performance electrodes for flexible and stretchable electronics. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Improving the health care work environment: implications for research, practice, and policy.

PubMed

Harrison, Michael I; Henriksen, Kerm; Hughes, Ronda G

2007-11-01

Despite the gains to date, we need better understanding of practices for implementing and sustaining improvements in health care work environments and further study of organizational conditions affecting implementation of improvements. Limiting work hours, improving schedules, and providing sleep hygiene training will help combat clinician fatigue. Hospital crowding can be reduced through systemwide improvement of patient flow and capacity management, coupled with management support, measurement, and reporting on crowding. Long-term solutions to nurse staffing shortfalls include process redesign to enhance efficiency. Improvement of organizational climate, human resource management, and interoccupational relations will also contribute to staff retention. Evidence-based enhancements to patient rooms and other physical features in hospitals contribute directly to safety and quality and also affect staff performance. POLICY: Landrigan and his colleagues call for external restrictions on residents' work shifts. Clarke examines prospects for mandated nursing-staff ratios. Public reporting on staffing, crowding, and other risks may incent change. Reporting and pay for performance require standardized measures of targeted conditions. Organizations promoting care quality can help spread safe work practices; they can also support collaborative learning and other strategies that may enhance implementation of improvements in work environments.

Information or resolution: Which is required from an SEM to study bulk inorganic materials?

PubMed

Xing, Q

2016-11-01

Significant technological advances in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been achieved over the past years. Different SEMs can have significant differences in functionality and performance. This work presents the perspectives on selecting an SEM for research on bulk inorganic materials. Understanding materials demands quantitative composition and orientation information, and informative and interpretable images that reveal subtle differences in chemistry, orientation/structure, topography, and electronic structure. The capability to yield informative and interpretable images with high signal-to-noise ratios and spatial resolutions is an overall result of the SEM system as a whole, from the electron optical column to the detection system. The electron optical column determines probe performance. The roles of the detection system are to capture, filter or discriminate, and convert signal electrons to imaging information. The capability to control practical operating parameters including electron probe size and current, acceleration voltage or landing voltage, working distance, detector selection, and signal filtration is inherently determined by the SEM itself. As a platform for various accessories, e.g. an energy-dispersive spectrometer and an electron backscatter diffraction detector, the properties of the electron optical column, specimen chamber, and stage greatly affect the performance of accessories. Ease-of-use and ease-of-maintenance are of practical importance. It is practically important to select appropriate test specimens, design suitable imaging conditions, and analyze the specimen chamber geometry and dimensions to assess the overall functionality and performance of an SEM. For an SEM that is controlled/operated with a computer, the stable software and user-friendly interface significantly improve the usability of the SEM. SCANNING 38:864-879, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Motivational Practices and Teachers' Performance in Jinja Municipality Secondary Schools, Jinja District, Uganda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Justine, Nairuba

2011-01-01

The purpose of the study was to establish the effect of provision of fringe benefits and the nature of working conditions under motivational practices on teachers' performance in secondary schools. The study was qualitative and quantitative; and descriptive-correlation research design was used in the study. The researcher used purposive and simple…

What you do not know about disease management: a new ally in the pay-for-performance era.

PubMed

Peck, Charles A

2008-01-01

Disease management is relatively new, and many medical practices have misconceptions about how it works. Far from being a burden to busy medical practices, disease management programs can reduce hassles for physicians and office managers by coaching patients to be more compliant, better prepared, and less likely to make unnecessary phone calls. Disease management programs cost the medical practices nothing. They can even help practices make money by providing data needed for bonuses from the growing number of pay-for-performance programs.

Using Key Performance Indicators to Do More with Less in Your Practice

PubMed Central

Taylor, Brian

2016-01-01

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are important to managing any sustainable business. This tutorial provides audiologists, especially those with little formal business education, with a working definition of KPIs. A major theme of this article is that a relatively small group of about a dozen KPIs are an essential part of managing a successful audiology practice. The most useful KPIs for managing retail-oriented and medically oriented practices will be provided. Best practice benchmarks and how to use them to hire, coach, and train your staff also is covered. PMID:28028323

Using Key Performance Indicators to Do More with Less in Your Practice.

PubMed

Taylor, Brian

2016-11-01

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are important to managing any sustainable business. This tutorial provides audiologists, especially those with little formal business education, with a working definition of KPIs. A major theme of this article is that a relatively small group of about a dozen KPIs are an essential part of managing a successful audiology practice. The most useful KPIs for managing retail-oriented and medically oriented practices will be provided. Best practice benchmarks and how to use them to hire, coach, and train your staff also is covered.

3D architecture of a graphene/CoMoO(4) composite for asymmetric supercapacitors usable at various temperatures.

PubMed

Jiang, Yaru; Zheng, Xin; Yan, Xiaoqin; Li, Yong; Zhao, Xuan; Zhang, Yue

2017-05-01

Designing and optimizing the electrode materials and studying the electrochemical performance or cycle life of the supercapacitor under different working conditions are crucial to its practical application. Herein, we proposed a rational design of 3D-graphene/CoMoO 4 nanoplates by a facile two-step hydrothermal method. Owing to the high electron transfer rate of graphene and the high activity of the CoMoO 4 nanoplates, the three-dimensional electrode architectures achieved remarkable electrochemical performances with high areal specific capacitance (1255.24F/g at 1A/g) and superior cycling stability (91.3% of the original specific capacitance after 3000 cycles at 1A/g). The all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor composed of 3D-graphene/CoMoO 4 and activated carbon (AC) exhibited a specific capacitance of 109F/g at 0.2A/g and an excellent cycling stability with only 12.1% of the initial specific capacitance off after 3000 cycles at 2A/g. The effects of temperature and charge-discharge current densities on the charge storage capacity of the supercapacitor were also investigated in detail for practical applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

What attributions do Australian high-performing general practices make for their success? Applying the clinical microsystems framework: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Dunham, Annette H; Dunbar, James A; Johnson, Julie K; Fuller, Jeff; Morgan, Mark; Ford, Dale

2018-04-10

To identify the success attributions of high-performing Australian general practices and the enablers and barriers they envisage for practices wishing to emulate them. Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and content analysis of the data. Responses were recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded according to success characteristics of high-performing clinical microsystems. Primary healthcare with the participating general practices representing all Australian states and territories, and representing metropolitan and rural locations. Twenty-two general practices identified as high performing via a number of success criteria. The 52 participants were 19 general practitioners, 18 practice managers and 15 practice nurses. Participants most frequently attributed success to the interdependence of the team members, patient-focused care and leadership of the practice. They most often signalled practice leadership, team interdependence and staff focus as enablers that other organisations would need to emulate their success. They most frequently identified barriers that might be encountered in the form of potential deficits or limitations in practice leadership, staff focus and mesosystem support. Practice leaders need to empower their teams to take action through providing inclusive leadership that facilitates team interdependence. Mesosystem support for quality improvement in general practice should focus on enabling this leadership and team building, thereby ensuring improvement efforts are converted into effective healthcare provision. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Use of an Annular Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) Versus a Conventional SDD Makes Phase Mapping a Practical Solution for Rare Earth Mineral Characterization.

PubMed

Teng, Chaoyi; Demers, Hendrix; Brodusch, Nicolas; Waters, Kristian; Gauvin, Raynald

2018-06-04

A number of techniques for the characterization of rare earth minerals (REM) have been developed and are widely applied in the mining industry. However, most of them are limited to a global analysis due to their low spatial resolution. In this work, phase map analyses were performed on REM with an annular silicon drift detector (aSDD) attached to a field emission scanning electron microscope. The optimal conditions for the aSDD were explored, and the high-resolution phase maps generated at a low accelerating voltage identify phases at the micron scale. In comparisons between an annular and a conventional SDD, the aSDD performed at optimized conditions, making the phase map a practical solution for choosing an appropriate grinding size, judging the efficiency of different separation processes, and optimizing a REM beneficiation flowsheet.

Dental therapy practice patterns in Minnesota: a baseline study.

PubMed

Blue, Christine M; Kaylor, Mary Beth

2016-10-01

A chronic shortage of dentists, the importance of oral health, and the lack of access to care led to the introduction of a new oral health practitioner in Minnesota, the dental therapist. Dental therapy graduates from the University of Minnesota have been in practice since 2012. To date, there has been no formal study of how they have been incorporated into dental practice. The purpose of this study was to obtain baseline knowledge of dental therapists' practice patterns in Minnesota and determine if dentists' patterns of work changed after a dental therapist was employed. Four dental practices were sampled purposefully to obtain various practice types and geographic locations within Minnesota. Secondary data were collected from practice management software databases in each practice between January-March, 2015. Data were used to describe the work undertaken by dental therapists, the types of patients seen and payer mix. Additionally, data from 6 months before and after employment of the dental therapist were collected to determine whether dentists' practice patterns changed after a dental therapist was employed. Dental therapists were employed full-time, seeing an average of 6.8 patients per day. No distinct pattern emerged with regard to ages of patients seen by dental therapists. Dental therapists saw up to 90% of uninsured patients or patients on public assistance. Restorative services across practices comprised an average of 68% of work undertaken by dental therapists. Dentists delegated a full range of procedures within the dental therapy scope of practice indicating trust and acceptance of dental therapists. Dentists in two practices began to take on more complex dental procedures after a dental therapist joined the practice. Dental therapists are treating a high number of uninsured and underinsured patients, suggesting that they are expanding access to dental care in rural and metropolitan areas of Minnesota. Dentists appear to have an adequate workload for dental therapists and are delegating a full range of procedures within their scope of practice. Dentists performed fewer restorative and preventive procedures after a DT was hired. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Family supportive supervisor behaviors and organizational culture: Effects on work engagement and performance.

PubMed

Rofcanin, Yasin; Las Heras, Mireia; Bakker, Arnold B

2017-04-01

Informed by social information processing (SIP) theory, in this study, we assessed the associations among family supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSBs) as perceived by subordinates, subordinate work engagement, and supervisor-rated work performance. Moreover, we explored the role of family supportive organizational culture as a contextual variable influencing our proposed associations. Our findings using matched supervisor-subordinate data collected from a financial credit company in Mexico (654 subordinates; 134 supervisors) showed that FSSBs influenced work performance through subordinate work engagement. Moreover, the positive association between subordinates' perceptions of FSSBs and work engagement was moderated by family supportive organizational culture. Our results contribute to emerging theories on flexible work arrangements, particularly on family supportive work policies. Moreover, our findings carry practical implications for improving employee work engagement and work performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Mathematical études: embedding opportunities for developing procedural fluency within rich mathematical contexts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, Colin

2013-07-01

In a high-stakes assessment culture, it is clearly important that learners of mathematics develop the necessary fluency and confidence to perform well on the specific, narrowly defined techniques that will be tested. However, an overemphasis on the training of piecemeal mathematical skills at the expense of more independent engagement with richer, multifaceted tasks risks devaluing the subject and failing to give learners an authentic and enjoyable experience of being a mathematician. Thus, there is a pressing need for mathematical tasks which embed the practice of essential techniques within a richer, exploratory and investigative context. Such tasks can be justified to school management or to more traditional mathematics teachers as vital practice of important skills; at the same time, they give scope to progressive teachers who wish to work in more exploratory ways. This paper draws on the notion of a musical étude to develop a powerful and versatile approach in which these apparently contradictory aspects of teaching mathematics can be harmoniously combined. I illustrate the tactic in three central areas of the high-school mathematics curriculum: plotting Cartesian coordinates, solving linear equations and performing enlargements. In each case, extensive practice of important procedures takes place alongside more thoughtful and mathematically creative activity.

Are attributes of organizational performance in large health care organizations relevant in primary care practices?

PubMed

Orzano, A John; Tallia, Alfred F; Nutting, Paul A; Scott-Cawiezell, Jill; Crabtree, Benjamin F

2006-01-01

Are organizational attributes associated with better health outcomes in large health care organizations applicable to primary care practices? In comparative case studies of two community family practices, it was found that attributes of organizational performance identified in larger health care organizations must be tailored to their unique context of primary care. Further work is required to adapt or establish the significance of the attributes of management infrastructure and information mastery.

Predicting Forearm Physical Exposures During Computer Work Using Self-Reports, Software-Recorded Computer Usage Patterns, and Anthropometric and Workstation Measurements.

PubMed

Huysmans, Maaike A; Eijckelhof, Belinda H W; Garza, Jennifer L Bruno; Coenen, Pieter; Blatter, Birgitte M; Johnson, Peter W; van Dieën, Jaap H; van der Beek, Allard J; Dennerlein, Jack T

2017-12-15

Alternative techniques to assess physical exposures, such as prediction models, could facilitate more efficient epidemiological assessments in future large cohort studies examining physical exposures in relation to work-related musculoskeletal symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate two types of models that predict arm-wrist-hand physical exposures (i.e. muscle activity, wrist postures and kinematics, and keyboard and mouse forces) during computer use, which only differed with respect to the candidate predicting variables; (i) a full set of predicting variables, including self-reported factors, software-recorded computer usage patterns, and worksite measurements of anthropometrics and workstation set-up (full models); and (ii) a practical set of predicting variables, only including the self-reported factors and software-recorded computer usage patterns, that are relatively easy to assess (practical models). Prediction models were build using data from a field study among 117 office workers who were symptom-free at the time of measurement. Arm-wrist-hand physical exposures were measured for approximately two hours while workers performed their own computer work. Each worker's anthropometry and workstation set-up were measured by an experimenter, computer usage patterns were recorded using software and self-reported factors (including individual factors, job characteristics, computer work behaviours, psychosocial factors, workstation set-up characteristics, and leisure-time activities) were collected by an online questionnaire. We determined the predictive quality of the models in terms of R2 and root mean squared (RMS) values and exposure classification agreement to low-, medium-, and high-exposure categories (in the practical model only). The full models had R2 values that ranged from 0.16 to 0.80, whereas for the practical models values ranged from 0.05 to 0.43. Interquartile ranges were not that different for the two models, indicating that only for some physical exposures the full models performed better. Relative RMS errors ranged between 5% and 19% for the full models, and between 10% and 19% for the practical model. When the predicted physical exposures were classified into low, medium, and high, classification agreement ranged from 26% to 71%. The full prediction models, based on self-reported factors, software-recorded computer usage patterns, and additional measurements of anthropometrics and workstation set-up, show a better predictive quality as compared to the practical models based on self-reported factors and recorded computer usage patterns only. However, predictive quality varied largely across different arm-wrist-hand exposure parameters. Future exploration of the relation between predicted physical exposure and symptoms is therefore only recommended for physical exposures that can be reasonably well predicted. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

[Factors associated with investment in an office medicine project by general practice residents].

PubMed

Munck, Stéphane; Massin, Sophie; Hofliger, Philippe; Darmon, David

2015-01-01

To identify thefactors associated with investment in an office medicine project by French general practice (GP) residents. We conducted a national survey using a web-based self-administered questionnaire and analyzed the data collected by multiple logistic regressions. The dependent variable was "an office medicine project" The explanatory variables were both individual (socio-demographic and linked to training trajectories) and contextual (related to the available training programmes and the regional medical demography). The response rate was 48.5%. Out of the 1,695 residents of the study sample, 315 (18.6%) already had a project to setup an office practice during their third cycle ofmedical studies. The main factors associated with this project were (p < 0.05): to receive strong academic support, to live in a rural or semi-rural area, to work as a GP locum, to perform residency training in the same city as the medical training and to perform residency training in a region with a high percentage of GPs 55years and older. This study showed that a project to setup an office practice was influenced by both individual and contextualfactors. Special attention should be paid to the means and content of training to ensure better supportfor residents, which could make office general practice more attractive.

Advancing Hospice and Palliative Care Social Work Leadership in Interprofessional Education and Practice.

PubMed

Blacker, Susan; Head, Barbara A; Jones, Barbara L; Remke, Stacy S; Supiano, Katherine

2016-01-01

The importance of interprofessional collaboration in achieving high quality outcomes, improving patient quality of life, and decreasing costs has been growing significantly in health care. Palliative care has been viewed as an exemplary model of interprofessional care delivery, yet best practices in both interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional practice (IPP) in the field are still developing. So, too, is the leadership of hospice and palliative care social workers within IPE and IPP. Generating evidence regarding best practices that can prepare social work professionals for collaborative practice is essential. Lessons learned from practice experiences of social workers working in hospice and palliative care can inform educational efforts of all professionals. The emergence of interprofessional education and competencies is a development that is relevant to social work practice in this field. Opportunities for hospice and palliative social workers to demonstrate leadership in IPE and IPP are presented in this article.

Managing Your Team's Weakest Link.

PubMed

Hills, Laura

2015-01-01

Do you have a poor-performing employee on your medical practice team? If so, you're not alone. Unfortunately, this is a problem that many medical practice managers face. This article describes the best strategies for managing your team's weakest link. It explores common yet very difficult circumstances that cause low employee performance and that test the patience, heart, and skills of a practice manager. It guides readers through a process of self-discovery to determine whether their negative biases or grudges may be causing employees to perform poorly. It suggests several possible other reasons for weak employee performance, including problems with the job, practice, leadership, communication, and fit between the employee and the job. This article also suggests the best strategy for communicating concerns about performance to the weakest-link employee. It offers guidance to practice managers about protecting their time and energy when handling a poor performer. It provides a simple formula for calculating the cost of a low-performing employee, 10 possible personal reasons for the employee's poor work performance, specific questions to ask to uncover the reasons for poor performance, and an eight-rule strategy for confronting poor performance effectively. Finally, this article offers practice managers a practical strategy for handling resistance from their weakest link, illustrated with a sample dialogue.

Evaluation of Frailty in Older Adults With Cardiovascular Disease

PubMed Central

Gary, Rebecca

2013-01-01

Rapid growth in the numbers of older adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is raising awareness and concern of the impact that common geriatric syndromes such as frailty may have on clinical outcomes, health-related quality of life, and rising economic burden associated with healthcare. Increasingly, frailty is recognized to be a highly prevalent and important risk factor that is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. A limitation of previous studies in patients with CVD has been the lack of a consistent definition and measures to evaluate frailty. In this review, building upon the work of Fried and colleagues, a definition of frailty is provided that is applicable for evaluating frailty in older adults with CVD. Simple, well-established performance-based measures widely used in comprehensive geriatric assessment are recommended that can be readily implemented by nurses in most practice settings. The limited studies conducted in older adults with CVD have shown physical performance measures to be highly predictive of clinical outcomes. Implications for practice and areas for future research are described for the growing numbers of elderly cardiac patients who are frail frailty and at risk for disability. PMID:22334147

The Art of Staying Engaged: The Role of Personal Resources in the Mental Well-Being of Young Veterinary Professionals.

PubMed

Mastenbroek, Nicole J J M

Health care professionals perceive transitions (e.g., from university to professional practice) to be challenging and stressful. The aim of the present research was to identify person-related characteristics that, in addition to work-related aspects, affect the mental well-being and performance of recently graduated veterinary professionals, and to reach a greater understanding of the role of personal resources in mental health and well-being. Based on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, a questionnaire measuring work engagement as well as burnout and its potential predictors was developed and distributed to 1,760 veterinarians who graduated in the Netherlands between 1999 and 2009 (response rate 41%, of which 73% were females). An intervention aiming at increasing personal resources was evaluated using qualitative and quantitative methods. The intervention was designed so that participants could set their own learning objectives toward which they could work during a yearlong multimodular program. The results show that gender and the number of years after graduation have a small effect on exhaustion resulting in 16% of the veterinarians (18% for females) meeting the criteria for burnout in the first 5 years after graduation. Thirteen percent of respondents could be classified as being highly engaged. While burnout resulted mostly from job characteristics (demands and resources), work engagement resulted mostly from job resources and personal resources. Personal resources appear to have an important mediating and initiating role in work engagement and performance. Self-reported ratings of reflective behavior, proactive behavior, and self-efficacy were significantly increased after a yearlong resources development program. Practical implications are discussed.

What to do when trust has been breached in your practice.

PubMed

Hills, Laura

2013-01-01

We've all experienced gossiping, missed deadlines, someone taking credit for another's work, and little white lies. These and other breaches of trust are commonplace. However, they do more damage in the medical practice than many practice managers realize. This article argues that medical practice employees need to trust their managers, patients, doctors, one another, and even the security of their jobs so they are able to focus on their daily tasks and perform well. It defines trust as both a logical and emotional act and describes common breaches of workplace trust. It defines three characteristics of high-trust organizations and illustrates through examples how practice managers can demonstrate their trustworthiness through their actions, not only through their words. This article also offers seven steps for rebuilding trust that has been breached. It offers readers two instruments: a survey tool practice managers can use to assess the trust in their practices and a self-quiz practice managers can take to assess their own trustworthiness. Finally, this article offers research about the impact of trust on the bottom line and 10 truths about trust that medical practice managers can share with their employees.

Reference Accuracy among Research Articles Published in "Research on Social Work Practice"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilks, Scott E.; Geiger, Jennifer R.; Bates, Samantha M.; Wright, Amy L.

2017-01-01

Objective: The objective was to examine reference errors in research articles published in Research on Social Work Practice. High rates of reference errors in other top social work journals have been noted in previous studies. Methods: Via a sampling frame of 22,177 total references among 464 research articles published in the previous decade, a…

Understanding the essential elements of work-based learning and its relevance to everyday clinical practice.

PubMed

Williams, Caroline

2010-09-01

To critically review the work-based learning literature and explore the implications of the findings for the development of work-based learning programmes. With NHS budgets under increasing pressure, and challenges to the impact of classroom-based learning on patient outcomes, work-based learning is likely to come under increased scrutiny as a potential solution. Evidence from higher education institutions suggests that work-based learning can improve practice, but in many cases it is perceived as little more than on-the-job training to perform tasks. The CINAHL database was searched using the keywords work-based learning, work-place learning and practice-based learning. Those articles that had a focus on post-registration nursing were selected and critically reviewed. Using the review of the literature, three key issues were explored. Work-based learning has the potential to change practice. Learning how to learn and critical reflection are key features. For effective work-based learning nurses need to take control of their own learning, receive support to critically reflect on their practice and be empowered to make changes to that practice. A critical review of the literature has identified essential considerations for the implementation of work-based learning. A change in culture from classroom to work-based learning requires careful planning and consideration of learning cultures. To enable effective work-based learning, nurse managers need to develop a learning culture in their workplace. They should ensure that skilled facilitation is provided to support staff with critical reflection and effecting changes in practice. CONTRIBUTION TO NEW KNOWLEDGE: This paper has identified three key issues that need to be considered in the development of work-based learning programmes. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Variables associated with work performance in multidisciplinary mental health teams

PubMed Central

Fleury, Marie-Josée; Grenier, Guy; Bamvita, Jean-Marie; Chiocchio, François

2017-01-01

Objectives: This study investigates work performance among 79 mental health teams in Quebec (Canada). We hypothesized that work performance was positively associated with the use of standardized clinical tools and clinical approaches, integration strategies, “clan culture,” and mental health funding per capita. Methods: Work performance was measured using an adapted version of the Work Role Questionnaire. Variables were organized into four key areas: (1) team attributes, (2) organizational culture, (3) inter-organizational interactions, and (4) external environment. Results: Work performance was associated with two types of organizational culture (clan and hierarchy) and with two team attributes (use of standardized clinical tools and approaches). Discussion and conclusion: This study was innovative in identifying associations between work performance and best practices, justifying their implementation. Recommendations are provided to develop organizational cultures promoting a greater focus on the external environment and integration strategies that strengthen external focus, service effectiveness, and innovation. PMID:28839935

Standing out and moving up: performance appraisal of cultural minority physicians.

PubMed

Leyerzapf, Hannah; Abma, Tineke A; Steenwijk, Reina R; Croiset, Gerda; Verdonk, Petra

2015-10-01

Despite a growing diversity within society and health care, there seems to be a discrepancy between the number of cultural minority physicians graduating and those in training for specialization (residents) or working as a specialist in Dutch academic hospitals. The purpose of this article is to explore how performance appraisal in daily medical practice is experienced and might affect the influx of cultural minority physicians into specialty training. A critical diversity study was completed in one academic hospital using interviews (N = 27) and focus groups (15 participants) with cultural minority physicians and residents, instructing specialists and executives of medical wards. Data were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic and integral content analysis was performed. In addition to explicit norms on high motivation and excellent performance, implicit norms on professionalism are considered crucial in qualifying for specialty training. Stereotyped imaging on the culture and identity of cultural minority physicians and categorical thinking on diversity seem to underlie daily processes of evaluation and performance appraisal. These are experienced as inhibiting the possibilities to successfully profile for selection into residency and specialist positions. Implicit criteria appear to affect selection processes on medical wards and possibly hinder the influx of cultural minority physicians into residency and making academic hospitals more diverse. Minority and majority physicians, together with the hospital management and medical education should target inclusive norms and practices within clinical practice.

Modelling the effect of perceived interdependence among mental healthcare professionals on their work role performance.

PubMed

Markon, Marie-Pierre; Chiocchio, François; Fleury, Marie-Josée

2017-07-01

The purpose of mental healthcare system reform was to enhance service efficiency by strengthening primary mental healthcare and increasing service integration in communities. Reinforcing interprofessional teamwork also intended to address the extensive and multidimensional needs of patients with mental disorders by bringing together a broader array of expertise. In this context, mental healthcare professionals (MHCPs) from various health and social care professions are more interdependent in many aspects of their work (tasks, resources, and goals). We wanted to examine the effect of perceived interdependence among MHCPs on their work role performance in the context of mental healthcare. For this purpose, we developed and tested a model coherent with the Input-Mediator-Outcome-Input (IMOI) framework of team effectiveness. Data from questionnaires administered to 315 MHCPs from four local health service networks in Quebec, Canada were analysed through structural equation modelling and mediation analysis. The structural equation model provided a good fit for the data and explained 51% of the variance of work role performance. Perceived collaboration, confidence in the advantages of interprofessional collaboration, involvement in the decision process, knowledge sharing, and satisfaction with the nature of the work partially mediated the effect of perceived interdependence among team members on work role performance. Therefore, perceived interdependence among team members had a positive impact on the work role performance of MHCPs mostly through its effect on favourable team functioning features. This implies, in practice, that increased interdependence of MHCPs would be more likely to truly enhance work role performance if team-based interventions to promote collaborative work and interprofessional teaching and training programs to support work within interprofessional teams were jointly implemented. Participation in the decision process and knowledge sharing should also be fostered, for instance, by adopting knowledge management best practices.

The impact of nursing education and job characteristics on nurse's perceptions of their family nursing practice skills.

PubMed

Svavarsdottir, Erla Kolbrun; Sigurdardottir, Anna Olafia; Konradsdottir, Elisabet; Tryggvadottir, Gudny Bergthora

2018-04-25

Implementing family system nursing in clinical settings is on the rise. However, little is known about the impact of graduate school education as well as continuing education in family systems nursing (FSN) on nurses' perceptions of their family nursing practice. To evaluate the level of nursing education, having taken a continuing hospital educational course in family system nursing (FN-ETI programme), and the impact of job characteristics on nurses' perceptions of their family nursing practice skills. Participants were 436 nurses with either a BSc degree or graduate degree in nursing. The Job Demand, Control and Support model guided the study (R. Karasek and T. Theorell, 1992, Healthy Work: Stress, Productivity, and the Reconstruction of Working Life, Basic Books, New York, NY). Scores for the characteristics of job demands and job control were created to categorise participants into four job types: high strain (high demand, low control), passive (low demand, low control), low strain (low demand, high control) and active (high demand, high control). Nurses with a graduate education who had taken the FN-ETI programme scored significantly higher on the Family Nursing Practice Scale than nurses with an undergraduate education. Nurses who were characterised as low strain or active scored significantly higher on the Family Nursing Practice Scale than the nurses who were characterised as high strain. Further, the interaction of education by job type was significant regarding family nursing practice skills. Hierarchical regression revealed 25% of the variance in family nursing practice skills was explained by job control, family policy on the unit, graduate education and employment on the following divisions: Maternal-Child, Emergency, Mental Health or Internal Medicine. Graduate education plus continuing education in FSN can offer nurses increased job opportunities more control over one's work as well as increased skills working with families in clinical settings. © 2018 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Occupational stress among Swedish audiologists in clinical practice: Reasons for being stressed.

PubMed

Brännström, K Jonas; Holm, Lucas; Larsson, Josefina; Lood, Sofie; Notsten, Margareta; Turunen Taheri, Satu

2016-08-01

The present study reports on the application of a Swedish translation of the audiologist occupational stress questionnaire (AOSQ) on audiologists working in Sweden. The relations between AOSQ scores and perceived effort, perceived rewards, coping strategies at work, demographic variables such as salary, education length, practise length, and practice type were tested. A cross-sectional e-mail survey using the AOSQ, effort-reward imbalance questionnaire, and demographic questions. Four-hundred and four Swedish licensed audiologists working with clients. The Swedish AOSQ translation demonstrated high inter-item correlations and high internal consistency. Several stress factors were identified: time spent at work, accountability, leadership at the workplace, paperwork and practice demands, equipment and clinical protocols, own health concerns, and job control. The outcome on the complete AOSQ questionnaire was related to perceived effort, perceived rewards, coping strategies at work, and age. The Swedish AOSQ translation seems to provide a valid measure of occupational stress among audiologists.

Ending on a positive: Examining the role of safety leadership decisions, behaviours and actions in a safety critical situation.

PubMed

Donovan, Sarah-Louise; Salmon, Paul M; Horberry, Timothy; Lenné, Michael G

2018-01-01

Safety leadership is an important factor in supporting safe performance in the workplace. The present case study examined the role of safety leadership during the Bingham Canyon Mine high-wall failure, a significant mining incident in which no fatalities or injuries were incurred. The Critical Decision Method (CDM) was used in conjunction with a self-reporting approach to examine safety leadership in terms of decisions, behaviours and actions that contributed to the incidents' safe outcome. Mapping the analysis onto Rasmussen's Risk Management Framework (Rasmussen, 1997), the findings demonstrate clear links between safety leadership decisions, and emergent behaviours and actions across the work system. Communication and engagement based decisions featured most prominently, and were linked to different leadership practices across the work system. Further, a core sub-set of CDM decision elements were linked to the open flow and exchange of information across the work system, which was critical to supporting the safe outcome. The findings provide practical implications for the development of safety leadership capability to support safety within the mining industry. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stigma to Sage: Learning and Teaching Safer Sex Practices Among Canadian Sex Trade Workers. NALL Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meaghan, Diane

A study interviewed 37 Canadian sex workers in 4 cities to determine how they acquire a working knowledge of safer sex practices and what that knowledge constituted. Findings indicated the vast majority exhibited high levels of knowledge and efficacy regarding safer sex practices; sex workers took the initiative to obtain information and engage in…

Radiation Attenuation and Stability of ClearView Radiation Shielding TM-A Transparent Liquid High Radiation Shield.

PubMed

Bakshi, Jayeesh

2018-04-01

Radiation exposure is a limiting factor to work in sensitive environments seen in nuclear power and test reactors, medical isotope production facilities, spent fuel handling, etc. The established choice for high radiation shielding is lead (Pb), which is toxic, heavy, and abidance by RoHS. Concrete, leaded (Pb) bricks are used as construction materials in nuclear facilities, vaults, and hot cells for radioisotope production. Existing transparent shielding such as leaded glass provides minimal shielding attenuation in radiotherapy procedures, which in some cases is not sufficient. To make working in radioactive environments more practicable while resolving the lead (Pb) issue, a transparent, lightweight, liquid, and lead-free high radiation shield-ClearView Radiation Shielding-(Radium Incorporated, 463 Dinwiddie Ave, Waynesboro, VA). was developed. This paper presents the motivation for developing ClearView, characterization of certain aspects of its use and performance, and its specific attenuation testing. Gamma attenuation testing was done using a 1.11 × 10 Bq Co source and ANSI/HPS-N 13.11 standard. Transparency with increasing thickness, time stability of liquid state, measurements of physical properties, and performance in freezing temperatures are reported. This paper also presents a comparison of ClearView with existing radiation shields. Excerpts from LaSalle nuclear power plant are included, giving additional validation. Results demonstrated and strengthened the expected performance of ClearView as a radiation shield. Due to the proprietary nature of the work, some information is withheld.

The Consequences of Fading Instructional Guidance on Delayed Performance: The Case of Financial Services Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kissane, Mark; Kalyuga, Slava; Chandler, Paul; Sweller, John

2008-01-01

Empirical studies within a cognitive load framework have determined that for novice learners, worked examples provide appropriate levels of instructional guidance. As learners advance in specific subject domains, worked examples should be gradually replaced by practice problems with limited guidance. This study compared performance, both…

Admissions Roulette: Predictive Factors for Success in Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfouts, Jane H.; Henley, H. Carl, Jr.

1977-01-01

A multivariate predictive index of student field performance to be used as an admissions tool in graduate schools of social work is described. It measures the effect on field performance of (1) a measure of the student's intellectual ability, (2) undergraduate school quality, (3) prior work experience, and (4) student sex. (Author/LBH)

A cycloidal wobble motor driven by shape memory alloy wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Donghyun; Higuchi, Toshiro

2014-05-01

A cycloidal wobble motor driven by shape memory alloy (SMA) wires is proposed. In realizing a motor driving mechanism well known as a type of reduction system, a cycloidal gear mechanism is utilized. It facilitates the achievement of bidirectional continuous rotation with high-torque capability, based on its high efficiency and high reduction ratio. The applied driving mechanism consists of a pin/roller based annular gear as a wobbler, a cycloidal disc as a rotor, and crankshafts to guide the eccentric wobbling motion. The wobbling motion of the annular gear is generated by sequential activation of radially phase-symmetrically placed SMA wires. Consequently the cycloidal disc is rotated by rolling contact based cycloidal gearing between the wobbler and the rotor. In designing the proposed motor, thermomechanical characterization of an SMA wire biased by extension springs is experimentally performed. Then, a simplified geometric model for the motor is devised to conduct theoretical assessment of design parametric effects on structural features and working performance. With consideration of the results from parametric analysis, a functional prototype three-phase motor is fabricated to carry out experimental verification of working performance. The observed experimental results including output torque, rotational speed, bidirectional positioning characteristic, etc obviously demonstrate the practical applicability and potentiality of the wobble motor.

Opening the black box in nursing work and management practice: the role of ward managers.

PubMed

Townsend, Keith; Wilkinson, Adrian; Kellner, Ashlea

2015-03-01

This paper aims to identify and explore key obstacles preventing ward managers from effectively performing the human resource management (HRM) responsibilities required in their role. In the context of increasing costs and the decentralisation of responsibility to ward level, the relevance of the ward manager role within the 'black box' between human resource management and firm performance is becoming increasingly pertinent. This paper presents an intensive case study including 37 interviews across all levels of a hospital where senior management attempted to shift to a high performance model of human resource management. The findings indicated that ward managers played a critical role in maintaining and improving employee performance, although they were restricted from effectively performing their responsibilities due to budget pressure and limited managerial skill development. Our findings support the contention that hospitals would benefit from focusing on the critical role of the ward manager as the central locus of influence in high performance human resource management (HPHRM) systems. Investment into high performance human resource management is discouraged if the hospital cannot adequately enable ward managers who are responsible for implementation. Introduction of managerial skills training to potential and existing ward managers is critical. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Work engagement in professional nursing practice: A systematic review.

PubMed

Keyko, Kacey; Cummings, Greta G; Yonge, Olive; Wong, Carol A

2016-09-01

Work engagement in professional nursing practice is critically important to consider when addressing key challenges of health systems, including the global nursing shortage, pressures to reduce health care spending, and increasing demands for quality care and positive outcomes for patients. However, research on work engagement in professional nursing practice has not yet been synthesized and therefore, does not provide a sufficient foundation of knowledge to guide practice and further research. The overall aim of this systematic review is to determine what is currently known about the antecedents and outcomes of work engagement in professional nursing practice. Systematic review. The search strategy included eight electronic databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PROQUEST, SCOPUS, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Business Source Complete. The search was conducted in October 2013. Quantitative and qualitative research that examined relationships between work engagement and antecedent or outcome factors was included. Quality assessment, data extractions, and analysis were completed on all included studies. Data extracted from included studies were synthesized through descriptive and narrative synthesis. Content analysis was used to categorize factors into themes and categories. 3621 titles and abstracts were screened and yielded 113 manuscripts for full text review. Full text review resulted in 18 included studies. All factors examined were grouped into either influences or outcomes of work engagement. A total of 77 influencing factors were categorized into 6 themes: organizational climate, job resources, professional resources, personal resources, job demands, and demographic variables. A total of 17 outcomes of work engagement were categorized into 3 themes: performance and care outcomes, professional outcomes, and personal outcomes. Based on the results, we adapted the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and developed the Nursing Job Demands-Resources (NJD-R) model for work engagement in professional nursing practice, which reflects key adaptations related to organizational climate and professional resources. Our findings indicate that a wide range of antecedents, at multiple levels, are related to registered nurses' work engagement. Positive outcomes of work engagement are valuable to both performance and the individual nurse. The NJD-R model offers nursing science a valuable beginning framework to understand the current evidence, further direct nursing research, and begin to guide practice and policy. The results offer opportunities for nurse leaders to promote work engagement in professional nurses through action on organizational level resources. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cultivating Mathematical Skills: From Drill-and-Practice to Deliberate Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehtinen, Erno; Hannula-Sormunen, Minna; McMullen, Jake; Gruber, Hans

2017-01-01

Contemporary theories of expertise development highlight the crucial role of deliberate practice in the development of high level performance. Deliberate practice is practice that intentionally aims at improving one's skills and competencies. It is not a mechanical or repetitive process of making performance more fluid. Instead, it involves a…

Nurses' performance on indigenous and African-Brazilian health care practices.

PubMed

Lima, Maria do Rosário de Araújo; Nunes, Maria Luísa de Almeida; Klüppel, Berta Lúcia Pinheiro; Medeiros, Soraya Maria de; Sá, Lenilde Duarte de

2016-01-01

to analyze the performance of nurses from the Estratégia Saúde da Família (Family Health Strategy) on health care practices rooted in African and Indigenous cultures. Thematic Oral History was used and interviews were conducted with seven participants, who worked with Primary Health Care in Northeastern Brazil. The analysis was based on Leininger's Theory of Cultural Care and the intercultural concept of human rights, among others. nurses are unaware of the religious and historical context of the ethnic groups cared for and do not appreciate their self-care practices in areas with a predominance of African and indigenous cultures. These practices coexist with the hegemonic biomedical model. the debate on cultural competence in the context of professional qualification and exercise is required, aiming to promote the nursing work in the perspective of diversity and comprehensiveness of health care.

Practice Facilitator Strategies for Addressing Electronic Health Record Data Challenges for Quality Improvement: EvidenceNOW.

PubMed

Hemler, Jennifer R; Hall, Jennifer D; Cholan, Raja A; Crabtree, Benjamin F; Damschroder, Laura J; Solberg, Leif I; Ono, Sarah S; Cohen, Deborah J

2018-01-01

Practice facilitators ("facilitators") can play an important role in supporting primary care practices in performing quality improvement (QI), but they need complete and accurate clinical performance data from practices' electronic health records (EHR) to help them set improvement priorities, guide clinical change, and monitor progress. Here, we describe the strategies facilitators use to help practices perform QI when complete or accurate performance data are not available. Seven regional cooperatives enrolled approximately 1500 small-to-medium-sized primary care practices and 136 facilitators in EvidenceNOW, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's initiative to improve cardiovascular preventive services. The national evaluation team analyzed qualitative data from online diaries, site visit field notes, and interviews to discover how facilitators worked with practices on EHR data challenges to obtain and use data for QI. We found facilitators faced practice-level EHR data challenges, such as a lack of clinical performance data, partial or incomplete clinical performance data, and inaccurate clinical performance data. We found that facilitators responded to these challenges, respectively, by using other data sources or tools to fill in for missing data, approximating performance reports and generating patient lists, and teaching practices how to document care and confirm performance measures. In addition, facilitators helped practices communicate with EHR vendors or health systems in requesting data they needed. Overall, facilitators tailored strategies to fit the individual practice and helped build data skills and trust. Facilitators can use a range of strategies to help practices perform data-driven QI when performance data are inaccurate, incomplete, or missing. Support is necessary to help practices, particularly those with EHR data challenges, build their capacity for conducting data-driven QI that is required of them for participating in practice transformation and performance-based payment programs. It is questionable how practices with data challenges will perform in programs without this kind of support. © Copyright 2018 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Learning to explore the structure of kinematic objects in a virtual environment

PubMed Central

Buckmann, Marcus; Gaschler, Robert; Höfer, Sebastian; Loeben, Dennis; Frensch, Peter A.; Brock, Oliver

2015-01-01

The current study tested the quantity and quality of human exploration learning in a virtual environment. Given the everyday experience of humans with physical object exploration, we document substantial practice gains in the time, force, and number of actions needed to classify the structure of virtual chains, marking the joints as revolute, prismatic, or rigid. In line with current work on skill acquisition, participants could generalize the new and efficient psychomotor patterns of object exploration to novel objects. On the one hand, practice gains in exploration performance could be captured by a negative exponential practice function. On the other hand, they could be linked to strategies and strategy change. After quantifying how much was learned in object exploration and identifying the time course of practice-related gains in exploration efficiency (speed), we identified what was learned. First, we identified strategy components that were associated with efficient (fast) exploration performance: sequential processing, simultaneous use of both hands, low use of pulling rather than pushing, and low use of force. Only the latter was beneficial irrespective of the characteristics of the other strategy components. Second, we therefore characterized efficient exploration behavior by strategies that simultaneously take into account the abovementioned strategy components. We observed that participants maintained a high level of flexibility, sampling from a pool of exploration strategies trading the level of psycho-motoric challenges with exploration speed. We discuss the findings pursuing the aim of advancing intelligent object exploration by combining analytic (object exploration in humans) and synthetic work (object exploration in robots) in the same virtual environment. PMID:25904878

The attenuating effect of role overload on relationships linking self-efficacy and goal level to work performance.

PubMed

Brown, Steven P; Jones, Eli; Leigh, Thomas W

2005-09-01

The reported research examines the moderating effects of role overload on the antecedents and consequences of self-efficacy and personal goal level in a longitudinal study conducted in an industrial selling context. The results indicate that role overload moderates the antecedent effect of perceived organizational resources on self-efficacy beliefs. They also show that role overload moderates the direct effects of both self-efficacy and goal level on performance, such that these relationships are positive when role overload is low but not significant when role overload is high. Further, the results reveal a pattern of moderated mediation, in which goal level mediates the indirect effect of self-efficacy on performance when role overload is low but not when it is high. Implications for theory and managerial practice are discussed. Copyright 2005 APA, all rights reserved.

High-energy x-ray scattering studies of battery materials

DOE PAGES

Glazer, Matthew P. B.; Okasinski, John S.; Almer, Jonathan D.; ...

2016-06-08

High-energy x-ray (HEX) scattering is a sensitive and powerful tool to nondestructively probe the atomic and mesoscale structures of battery materials under synthesis and operational conditions. The penetration power of HEXs enables the use of large, practical samples and realistic environments, allowing researchers to explore the inner workings of batteries in both laboratory and commercial formats. This article highlights the capability and versatility of HEX techniques, particularly from synchrotron sources, to elucidate materials synthesis processes and thermal instability mechanisms in situ, to understand (dis)charging mechanisms in operando under a variety of cycling conditions, and to spatially resolve electrode/electrolyte responses tomore » highlight connections between inhomogeneity and performance. Such studies have increased our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying battery performance. Here, by deepening our understanding of the linkages between microstructure and overall performance, HEXs represent a powerful tool for validating existing batteries and shortening battery-development timelines.« less

High-energy x-ray scattering studies of battery materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Glazer, Matthew P. B.; Okasinski, John S.; Almer, Jonathan D.

High-energy x-ray (HEX) scattering is a sensitive and powerful tool to nondestructively probe the atomic and mesoscale structures of battery materials under synthesis and operational conditions. The penetration power of HEXs enables the use of large, practical samples and realistic environments, allowing researchers to explore the inner workings of batteries in both laboratory and commercial formats. This article highlights the capability and versatility of HEX techniques, particularly from synchrotron sources, to elucidate materials synthesis processes and thermal instability mechanisms in situ, to understand (dis)charging mechanisms in operando under a variety of cycling conditions, and to spatially resolve electrode/electrolyte responses tomore » highlight connections between inhomogeneity and performance. Such studies have increased our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying battery performance. Here, by deepening our understanding of the linkages between microstructure and overall performance, HEXs represent a powerful tool for validating existing batteries and shortening battery-development timelines.« less

Oxygen-rich hierarchical porous carbon derived from artemia cyst shells with superior electrochemical performance.

PubMed

Zhao, Yufeng; Ran, Wei; He, Jing; Song, Yanfang; Zhang, Chunming; Xiong, Ding-Bang; Gao, Faming; Wu, Jinsong; Xia, Yongyao

2015-01-21

In this study, three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous carbon with abundant functional groups is produced through a very simple low-cost carbonization of Artemia cyst shells. The unique hierarchical porous structure of this material, combining large numbers of micropores and macropores, as well as reasonable amount of mesopores, is proven favorable to capacitive behavior. The abundant oxygen functional groups from the natural carbon precursor contribute stable pseudocapacitance. As-prepared sample exhibits high specific capacitance (369 F g(-1) in 1 M H2SO4 and 349 F g(-1) in 6 M KOH), excellent cycling stability with capacitance retention of 100% over 10 000 cycles, and promising rate performance. This work not only describes a simple way to produce high-performance carbon electrode materials for practical application, but also inspires an idea for future structure design of porous carbon.

Workplace problems and solutions for employees with chronic diseases.

PubMed

Varekamp, I; van Dijk, F J H

2010-06-01

While many employees who have a chronic disease manage their jobs well, others are hampered in work performance, experience work-related problems and are at risk for job loss. To identify the practical and psychosocial barriers recognized by employees with chronic disease who experience work-related problems and to examine preferred work accommodations. A questionnaire was sent by mail and completed by current workers who have a chronic disease and experience serious problems at work. One hundred and twenty-two employees participated in this study. On average, they had been ill for 10 years and 44% had more than one disease. The most outstanding work-related problems were psychosocial, including work-home interference and a lack of acceptance of the chronic disease. Performing and finishing work tasks and social relationships with supervisors or colleagues were also felt to be slightly problematic. The most preferred work accommodations included fewer work hours, working from home, a slower work pace and more autonomy in planning work tasks. Almost three-quarters of the respondents were so fatigued that they were at risk of sickness absence or work disability. A chronic physical disease may lead to both practical and psychosocial problems and serious fatigue. Managing psychosocial problems may decrease fatigue.

Organizational Learning, Knowledge Management Practices and Firm's Performance: An Empirical Study of a Heavy Engineering Firm in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jain, Ajay K.; Moreno, Ana

2015-01-01

Purpose: The study aims at investigating the impact of organizational learning (OL) on the firm's performance and knowledge management (KM) practices in a heavy engineering organization in India. Design/Methodology/Approach: The data were collected from 205 middle and senior executives working in the project engineering management division of a…

The Backyard Human Performance Technologist: Applying the Development Research Methodology to Develop and Validate a New Instructional Design Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brock, Timothy R.

2009-01-01

Development research methodology (DRM) has been recommended as a viable research approach to expand the practice-to-theory/theory-to-practice literature that human performance technology (HPT) practitioners can integrate into the day-to-day work flow they already use to develop instructional products. However, little has been written about how it…

The Guardian: The Source for Antiterrorism Information. Volume 9, Number 1, April 2007

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-01

the fuel in these research reactors is generally not highly radioactive . Unlike the fuel rods in a nuclear power plant, these fuel elements would...NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND...practices and lessons learned. In addition, we will include Service and issue-specific breakout sessions that will focus on critical AT program elements

Practical Tips for Working as an Expedition Doctor on High-Altitude Expeditions.

PubMed

Brants, Anne; Metcalfe, Tracee

2017-09-01

Brants, Anne, and Tracee Metcalfe. Practical tips for working as an expedition doctor on high-altitude expeditions. High Alt Med Biol. 18:193-198, 2017.-With the explosion of adventure travel over the past decade, there has been a concurrent increase in mountaineering expeditions to extreme elevations, including many of the 8000-m peaks. This trend has created an increased demand for qualified expedition doctors to provide specialized medical advice and care to climbers and expedition staff. This review is intended to help physicians prepare for work on such expeditions. The authors rely heavily on their own experience and discuss the types of work available on high-altitude expeditions; how to identify a safe and reputable guiding company; personal and medical preparation; priorities in selecting or building an appropriate medical kit; and medical conditions commonly encountered on expeditions. The review concludes by considering ethical dilemmas and other difficult issues unique to this work.

A guide to performance management for the Health Information Manager.

PubMed

Leggat, Sandra G

This paper provides a summary of human resource management practices that have been identified as being associated with better outcomes in performance management. In general, essential practices include transformational leadership and a coherent program of goal setting, performance monitoring and feedback. Some Health Information Managers may feel they require training assistance to develop the necessary skills in the establishment of meaningful work performance goals for staff and the provision of useful and timely feedback. This paper provides useful information to assist Health Information Managers enhance the performance of their staff.

Toward High-Performance Communications Interfaces for Science Problem Solving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oviatt, Sharon L.; Cohen, Adrienne O.

2010-12-01

From a theoretical viewpoint, educational interfaces that facilitate communicative actions involving representations central to a domain can maximize students' effort associated with constructing new schemas. In addition, interfaces that minimize working memory demands due to the interface per se, for example by mimicking existing non-digital work practice, can preserve students' attentional focus on their learning task. In this research, we asked the question: What type of interface input capabilities provide best support for science problem solving in both low- and high- performing students? High school students' ability to solve a diverse range of biology problems was compared over longitudinal sessions while they used: (1) hardcopy paper and pencil (2) a digital paper and pen interface (3) pen tablet interface, and (4) graphical tablet interface. Post-test evaluations revealed that time to solve problems, meta-cognitive control, solution correctness, and memory all were significantly enhanced when using the digital pen and paper interface, compared with tablet interfaces. The tangible pen and paper interface also was the only alternative that significantly facilitated skill acquisition in low-performing students. Paradoxically, all students nonetheless believed that the tablet interfaces provided best support for their performance, revealing a lack of self-awareness about how to use computational tools to best advantage. Implications are discussed for how pen interfaces can be optimized for future educational purposes, and for establishing technology fluency curricula to improve students' awareness of the impact of digital tools on their performance.

Strategic Measures of Teacher Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milanowski, Anthony

2011-01-01

Managing the human capital in education requires measuring teacher performance. To measure performance, administrators need to combine measures of practice with measures of outcomes, such as value-added measures, and three measurement systems are needed: classroom observations, performance assessments or work samples, and classroom walkthroughs.…

Impact of role-, job- and organizational characteristics on Nursing Unit Managers' work related stress and well-being.

PubMed

Van Bogaert, Peter; Adriaenssens, Jef; Dilles, Tinne; Martens, Daisy; Van Rompaey, Bart; Timmermans, Olaf

2014-11-01

To study the impact of role, job- and organizational characteristics on nurse managers' work related stress and well-being such as feelings of emotional exhaustion, work engagement, job satisfaction and turnover intention. Various studies investigated role-, job- and organizational characteristics influencing nurse-related work environments. Research on nurse managers' related work environments define influencing factors, but, a clear understanding of the impact of nurse-managers' work-environment characteristics on their work related stress and well-being is limited. A cross-sectional design with a survey. A cross-sectional survey (N = 365) was carried out between December 2011-March 2012. The questionnaire was based on various validated measurement instruments identified by expert meetings (e.g. staff nurses, nurse managers and executives and physicians). Hierarchical regression analyses were performed using emotional exhaustion, work engagement, job satisfaction and turnover intentions as outcome variables. Study results showed one out of six nursing unit managers have high to very high feelings of emotional exhaustion and two out of three respondents have high to very high work engagement. Hierarchical regression models showed that role conflict and role meaningfulness were strong predictors of nursing unit managers' work related stress and well-being, alongside with job- and organizational characteristics. Several risk factors and stimulating factors influencing nurse unit managers' work related stress and well-being were identified. Further challenges will be to develop proper interventions and strategies to support nursing unit managers and their team in daily practice to deliver the best and safest patient care. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cross-national validation of prognostic models predicting sickness absence and the added value of work environment variables.

PubMed

Roelen, Corné A M; Stapelfeldt, Christina M; Heymans, Martijn W; van Rhenen, Willem; Labriola, Merete; Nielsen, Claus V; Bültmann, Ute; Jensen, Chris

2015-06-01

To validate Dutch prognostic models including age, self-rated health and prior sickness absence (SA) for ability to predict high SA in Danish eldercare. The added value of work environment variables to the models' risk discrimination was also investigated. 2,562 municipal eldercare workers (95% women) participated in the Working in Eldercare Survey. Predictor variables were measured by questionnaire at baseline in 2005. Prognostic models were validated for predictions of high (≥30) SA days and high (≥3) SA episodes retrieved from employer records during 1-year follow-up. The accuracy of predictions was assessed by calibration graphs and the ability of the models to discriminate between high- and low-risk workers was investigated by ROC-analysis. The added value of work environment variables was measured with Integrated Discrimination Improvement (IDI). 1,930 workers had complete data for analysis. The models underestimated the risk of high SA in eldercare workers and the SA episodes model had to be re-calibrated to the Danish data. Discrimination was practically useful for the re-calibrated SA episodes model, but not the SA days model. Physical workload improved the SA days model (IDI = 0.40; 95% CI 0.19-0.60) and psychosocial work factors, particularly the quality of leadership (IDI = 0.70; 95% CI 053-0.86) improved the SA episodes model. The prognostic model predicting high SA days showed poor performance even after physical workload was added. The prognostic model predicting high SA episodes could be used to identify high-risk workers, especially when psychosocial work factors are added as predictor variables.

Benefits from retrieval practice are greater for students with lower working memory capacity.

PubMed

Agarwal, Pooja K; Finley, Jason R; Rose, Nathan S; Roediger, Henry L

2017-07-01

We examined the effects of retrieval practice for students who varied in working memory capacity as a function of the lag between study of material and its initial test, whether or not feedback was given after the test, and the retention interval of the final test. We sought to determine whether a blend of these conditions exists that maximises benefits from retrieval practice for lower and higher working memory capacity students. College students learned general knowledge facts and then restudied the facts or were tested on them (with or without feedback) at lags of 0-9 intervening items. Final cued recall performance was better for tested items than for restudied items after both 10 minutes and 2 days, particularly for longer study-test lags. Furthermore, on the 2-day delayed test the benefits from retrieval practice with feedback were significantly greater for students with lower working memory capacity than for students with higher working memory capacity (r = -.42). Retrieval practice may be an especially effective learning strategy for lower ability students.

High-performance work systems in health care management, part 1: development of an evidence-informed model.

PubMed

Garman, Andrew N; McAlearney, Ann Scheck; Harrison, Michael I; Song, Paula H; McHugh, Megan

2011-01-01

: Although management practices are recognized as important factors in improving health care quality and efficiency, most research thus far has focused on individual practices, ignoring or underspecifying the contexts within which these practices are operating. Research from other industries, which has increasingly focused on systems rather than individual practices, has yielded results that may benefit health services management. : Our goal was to develop a conceptual model on the basis of prior research from health care as well as other industries that could be used to inform important contextual considerations within health care. : Using theoretical frameworks from A. Donabedian (1966), P. M. Wright, T. M. Gardner, and L. M. Moynihan (2003), and B. Schneider, D. B. Smith, and H. W. Goldstein (2000) and review methods adapted from R. Pawson (2006b), we reviewed relevant research from peer-reviewed and other industry-relevant sources to inform our model. The model we developed was then reviewed with a panel of practitioners, including experts in quality and human resource management, to assess the applicability of the model to health care settings. : The resulting conceptual model identified four practice bundles, comprising 14 management practices as well as nine factors influencing adoption and perceived sustainability of these practices. The mechanisms by which these practices influence care outcomes are illustrated using the example of hospital-acquired infections. In addition, limitations of the current evidence base are discussed, and an agenda for future research in health care settings is outlined. : Results may help practitioners better conceptualize management practices as part of a broader system of work practices. This may, in turn, help practitioners to prioritize management improvement efforts more systematically.

"Hand in Glove": Using Qualitative Methods to Connect Research and Practice.

PubMed

Harper, Liam D; McCunn, Robert

2017-08-01

Recent work has espoused the idea that in applied sporting environments, "fast"-working practitioners should work together with "slow"-working researchers. However, due to economical and logistical constraints, such a coupling may not always be practical. Therefore, alternative means of combining research and applied practice are needed. A particular methodology that has been used in recent years is qualitative research. Examples of qualitative methods include online surveys, 1-on-1 interviews, and focus groups. This article discusses the merits of using qualitative methods to combine applied practice and research in sport science. This includes a discussion of recent examples of the use of such methods in published journal articles, a critique of the approaches employed, and future directions and recommendations. The authors encourage both practitioners and researchers to use and engage with qualitative research with the ultimate goal of benefiting athlete health and sporting performance.

Strategies for Highly Effective Athletic Training Education Program Directors: A Practical Approach to Interdependence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leone, James E.; Gray, Kimberly A.

2007-01-01

Following "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey, this article seeks to communicate effective strategies for athletic training education Program Directors (PDs) to follow. Commentary of Covey's work and practical strategies to integrate them into PD practice and responsibilities are provided. Background: Due to a lack…

Students' motivation toward laboratory work in physiology teaching.

PubMed

Dohn, Niels Bonderup; Fago, Angela; Overgaard, Johannes; Madsen, Peter Teglberg; Malte, Hans

2016-09-01

The laboratory has been given a central role in physiology education, and teachers report that it is motivating for students to undertake experimental work on live animals or measuring physiological responses on the students themselves. Since motivation is a critical variable for academic learning and achievement, then we must concern ourselves with questions that examine how students engage in laboratory work and persist at such activities. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how laboratory work influences student motivation in physiology. We administered the Lab Motivation Scale to assess our students' levels of interest, willingness to engage (effort), and confidence in understanding (self-efficacy). We also asked students about the role of laboratory work for their own learning and their experience in the physiology laboratory. Our results documented high levels of interest, effort, and self-efficacy among the students. Correlation analyses were performed on the three motivation scales and exam results, yet a significant correlation was only found between self-efficacy in laboratory work and academic performance at the final exam. However, almost all students reported that laboratory work was very important for learning difficult concepts and physiological processes (e.g., action potential), as the hands-on experiences gave a more concrete idea of the learning content and made the content easier to remember. These results have implications for classroom practice as biology students find laboratory exercises highly motivating, despite their different personal interests and subject preferences. This highlights the importance of not replacing laboratory work by other nonpractical approaches, for example, video demonstrations or computer simulations. Copyright © 2016 The American Physiological Society.

Automatic Beam Path Analysis of Laser Wakefield Particle Acceleration Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rubel, Oliver; Geddes, Cameron G.R.; Cormier-Michel, Estelle

2009-10-19

Numerical simulations of laser wakefield particle accelerators play a key role in the understanding of the complex acceleration process and in the design of expensive experimental facilities. As the size and complexity of simulation output grows, an increasingly acute challenge is the practical need for computational techniques that aid in scientific knowledge discovery. To that end, we present a set of data-understanding algorithms that work in concert in a pipeline fashion to automatically locate and analyze high energy particle bunches undergoing acceleration in very large simulation datasets. These techniques work cooperatively by first identifying features of interest in individual timesteps,more » then integrating features across timesteps, and based on the information derived perform analysis of temporally dynamic features. This combination of techniques supports accurate detection of particle beams enabling a deeper level of scientific understanding of physical phenomena than hasbeen possible before. By combining efficient data analysis algorithms and state-of-the-art data management we enable high-performance analysis of extremely large particle datasets in 3D. We demonstrate the usefulness of our methods for a variety of 2D and 3D datasets and discuss the performance of our analysis pipeline.« less

High Bar Swing Performance in Novice Adults: Effects of Practice and Talent

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busquets, Albert; Marina, Michel; Irurtia, Alfredo; Ranz, Daniel; Angulo-Barroso, Rosa M.

2011-01-01

An individual's a priori talent can affect movement performance during learning. Also, task requirements and motor-perceptual factors are critical to the learning process. This study describes changes in high bar swing performance after a 2-month practice period. Twenty-five novice participants were divided by a priori talent level…

The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index: An updated review and recommendations for use.

PubMed

Swiger, Pauline A; Patrician, Patricia A; Miltner, Rebecca S Susie; Raju, Dheeraj; Breckenridge-Sproat, Sara; Loan, Lori A

2017-09-01

The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) is an instrument, which measures the nursing practice environment - defined as factors that enhance or attenuate a nurse's ability to practice nursing skillfully and deliver high quality care. The purpose of this paper is to provide an updated review of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index's use to date and provide recommendations that may be helpful to nursing leaders and researchers who plan to use this instrument. A narrative review of quantitative studies. PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature were searched to identify relevant literature using the search terms, Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index and PES-NWI. Studies were included if they were published in English between 2010 and 2016 and focused on the relationship between the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index and patient, nurse, or organizational outcomes. Data extraction focused on the reported survey scores and the significance and strength of the reported associations. Forty-six articles, from 28 countries, were included in this review. The majority reported significant findings between the nursing practice environment and outcomes. Although some modifications have been made, the instrument has remained primarily unchanged since its development. Most often, the scores regarding staffing and resource adequacy remained the lowest. The frequency of use of this instrument has remained high. Many researchers advocate for a move beyond the study of the connection between the Practice Environment Scale and nurse, patient, and organizational outcomes. Research should shift toward identifying interventions that improve the environment in which nurses practice and determining if changing the environment results in improved care quality. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Teacher Compensation: Standard Practices and Changes in Wisconsin. WCER Working Paper No. 2016-5

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimball, Steven M.; Heneman, Herbert G., III.; Worth, Robin; Arrigoni, Jessica; Marlin, Daniel

2016-01-01

Over many decades, teachers' compensation has been determined through standard practices, commonly represented by the single salary schedule. While these practices served districts well in a number of respects, many argue that new forms of teacher pay could provide powerful levers for changing teacher performance and improving student achievement…

Technical Report: Guide Details Best Practices in Photovoltaic System

Science.gov Websites

Operations and Maintenance | Solar Research | NREL Guide Details Best Practices in Photovoltaic A best-practices report on photovoltaic (PV) operations and maintenance (O&M) released by NREL and the PV O&M Working Group provides valuable insights on improving the performance of PV systems

Mathematics Practice without Feedback: A Desirable Difficulty in a Classroom Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fyfe, Emily R.; Rittle-Johnson, Bethany

2017-01-01

Recent research highlights the potential benefits of practice without feedback on learner's strategy knowledge. However, most prior work has been conducted in one-on-one settings with short retention intervals. We compared the effects of mathematics practice with and without correct-answer feedback on immediate and 1-week delayed performance in a…

What works: a realist evaluation case study of intermediaries in infection control practice.

PubMed

Williams, Lynne; Burton, Christopher; Rycroft-Malone, Jo

2013-04-01

To report a study of an intermediary programme in infection control practice in one hospital in the UK. Promoting best evidence in everyday practice is a constant problem in infection control. Intermediaries can influence the transfer and use of evidence in health care, but there remains a lack of evidence and theory about the specific actions and change processes, which can be successful in improving infection control practices. An in-depth mixed methods case study. The study was undertaken in 2011. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling and included frontline staff, managers and nurses in intermediary roles in infection control. For frontline staff, intermediary presence triggered a modification in behaviour. Different reactions were noted from the intermediaries' high level of physical presence in clinical areas, the facilitative approaches they used to give feedback and the specific teaching strategies they employed to meet frontline staff needs. The specific intermediary actions uncovered in this study were contingent on the prevailing systems for performance management, organisational commitment and efforts in clinical areas to foster a collegiate environment. The study provides theoretical threads of how intermediaries can be successful in promoting evidence use under certain contextual conditions. Further testing of the specific intermediary mechanisms uncovered in this study will contribute to understanding different approaches that work in infection control in embedding evidence in practice. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Science laboratory behavior strategies of students relative to performance in and attitude to laboratory work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okebukola, Peter Akinsola

The relationship between science laboratory behavior strategies of students and performance in and attitude to laboratory work was investigated in an observational study of 160 laboratory sessions involving 600 class five (eleventh grade) biology students. Zero-order correlations between the behavior strategies and outcome measures reveal a set of low to strong relationships. Transmitting information, listening and nonlesson related behaviors exhibited low correlations with practical skills and the attitude measure. The correlations between manipulating apparatus and observation with practical skills measures were found to be strong. Multiple correlation analysis revealed that the behaviors of students in the laboratories observed accounted for a large percentage of the variance in the scores on manipulative skills and a low percentage on interpretation of data, responsibility, initiative, and work habits. One significant canonical correlation emerged. The loadings on this canonical variate indicate that the practical skills measures, i.e., planning and design, manipulative skills and conduct of experiments, observation and recording of data, and attitude to laboratory work made primary contributions to the canonical relationship. Suggestions as to how students can be encouraged to go beyond cookbook-like laboratories and develop a more favorable attitude to laboratory work are made.

Dispersion compensation of fiber optic communication system with direct detection using artificial neural networks (ANNs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maghrabi, Mahmoud M. T.; Kumar, Shiva; Bakr, Mohamed H.

2018-02-01

This work introduces a powerful digital nonlinear feed-forward equalizer (NFFE), exploiting multilayer artificial neural network (ANN). It mitigates impairments of optical communication systems arising due to the nonlinearity introduced by direct photo-detection. In a direct detection system, the detection process is nonlinear due to the fact that the photo-current is proportional to the absolute square of the electric field intensity. The proposed equalizer provides the most efficient computational cost with high equalization performance. Its performance is comparable to the benchmark compensation performance achieved by maximum-likelihood sequence estimator. The equalizer trains an ANN to act as a nonlinear filter whose impulse response removes the intersymbol interference (ISI) distortions of the optical channel. Owing to the proposed extensive training of the equalizer, it achieves the ultimate performance limit of any feed-forward equalizer (FFE). The performance and efficiency of the equalizer is investigated by applying it to various practical short-reach fiber optic communication system scenarios. These scenarios are extracted from practical metro/media access networks and data center applications. The obtained results show that the ANN-NFFE compensates for the received BER degradation and significantly increases the tolerance to the chromatic dispersion distortion.

A Faculty Professional Development Model That Improves Student Learning, Encourages Active-Learning Instructional Practices, and Works for Faculty at Multiple Institutions.

PubMed

Pelletreau, Karen N; Knight, Jennifer K; Lemons, Paula P; McCourt, Jill S; Merrill, John E; Nehm, Ross H; Prevost, Luanna B; Urban-Lurain, Mark; Smith, Michelle K

2018-06-01

Helping faculty develop high-quality instruction that positively affects student learning can be complicated by time limitations, a lack of resources, and inexperience using student data to make iterative improvements. We describe a community of 16 faculty from five institutions who overcame these challenges and collaboratively designed, taught, iteratively revised, and published an instructional unit about the potential effect of mutations on DNA replication, transcription, and translation. The unit was taught to more than 2000 students in 18 courses, and student performance improved from preassessment to postassessment in every classroom. This increase occurred even though faculty varied in their instructional practices when they were teaching identical materials. We present information on how this faculty group was organized and facilitated, how members used student data to positively affect learning, and how they increased their use of active-learning instructional practices in the classroom as a result of participation. We also interviewed faculty to learn more about the most useful components of the process. We suggest that this professional development model can be used for geographically separated faculty who are interested in working together on a known conceptual difficulty to improve student learning and explore active-learning instructional practices.

Investigating the Use of Integrated Instructions to Reduce the Cognitive Load Associated with Doing Practical Work in Secondary School Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haslam, Carolyn Yvonne; Hamilton, Richard Joseph

2010-09-01

This study investigated the effects of integrated illustrations on understanding instructions for practical work in science. Ninety-six secondary school students who were unfamiliar with the target content knowledge and practical equipment took part. The students were divided into two conditions: (1) modified instructions containing integrated text and illustrations, and (2) conventional instructions containing text only. Modified instructions produced significantly higher levels of performance on task, lower time to completion and perceived cognitive load and task difficulty, higher relative efficiency score, and higher post-test scores than the conventional instructions. When learners are inexperienced and the information is complex, the results suggest that physically integrating mutually referring sources of information reduces cognitive load, and therefore makes practical work instructions easier to understand.

RN work engagement in generational cohorts: the view from rural US hospitals.

PubMed

Sullivan Havens, Donna; Warshawsky, Nora E; Vasey, Joseph

2013-10-01

To describe staff nurse work engagement, identify predictors by generational cohort, present implications for nurse managers and suggest future research. A global nurse shortage looms. While an adequate supply of nurses is needed to ensure access to care, access to quality care may be enhanced by an adequate supply of highly engaged nurses-those who are dedicated, energized, and absorbed. Nurses have long reported the presence of energy depleting practice environments. Nurses practicing in professional practice environments may be more engaged. A non-experimental survey design was executed. Direct care Registered Nurses (n = 747) working in five rural acute care hospitals completed questionnaires to assess work engagement (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9), decisional involvement (Decisional Involvement Scale), relational coordination (Relational Coordination Survey) and the nursing practice environment (Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index). Descriptive, correlational and regression analyses examined work engagement and predictors by generational cohort. With the exception of the absorption component, no statistically significant differences in engagement emerged across generational cohorts. Predictors of engagement differed by cohort, however across all cohorts, professional nursing practice environments predicted nurse work engagement. Professional nursing practice environments are significantly associated with nurse work engagement. Enhancing nurse work engagement is a complex challenge. Generational cohorts may respond to different strategies to enhance engagement. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Practical performance of real-time shot-noise measurement in continuous-variable quantum key distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tao; Huang, Peng; Zhou, Yingming; Liu, Weiqi; Zeng, Guihua

2018-01-01

In a practical continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) system, real-time shot-noise measurement (RTSNM) is an essential procedure for preventing the eavesdropper exploiting the practical security loopholes. However, the performance of this procedure itself is not analyzed under the real-world condition. Therefore, we indicate the RTSNM practical performance and investigate its effects on the CVQKD system. In particular, due to the finite-size effect, the shot-noise measurement at the receiver's side may decrease the precision of parameter estimation and consequently result in a tight security bound. To mitigate that, we optimize the block size for RTSNM under the ensemble size limitation to maximize the secure key rate. Moreover, the effect of finite dynamics of amplitude modulator in this scheme is studied and its mitigation method is also proposed. Our work indicates the practical performance of RTSNM and provides the real secret key rate under it.

Total Quality Management (TQM) Practices and School Climate amongst High, Average and Low Performance Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ismail, Siti Noor

2014-01-01

Purpose: This study attempted to determine whether the dimensions of TQM practices are predictors of school climate. It aimed to identify the level of TQM practices and school climate in three different categories of schools, namely high, average and low performance schools. The study also sought to examine which dimensions of TQM practices…

Effect of occupational health nursing practice on musculoskeletal pains among hospital nursing staff in South Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Yeon-Ha; Jung, Moon-Hee

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify whether occupational health nursing variables serve as the contributing factors to musculoskeletal pains (MSP). A self-administered questionnaire composed of demographic characteristics, the practice of occupational health nursing and information regarding MSP was designed based on in-depth interviews with eight nurses. This study included 226 hospital nursing staff who worked at three university hospitals located in Seoul, South Korea. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS and AMOS 19.0. Shoulder and neck pains occurred when subjects worked more than 46 h/week. Subjects who performed 'work-time adjustment' had lesser chance of having shoulder, leg/foot and wrist/finger pains. Overtime work hours showed an indirect effect on multiple sites of MSP by mediator variable, which was 'work-time adjustment'. Organized night duty days eventually decreased multiple sites of MSP. Administration strategies for nurses to adjust work-time within 46 h/week should be considered.

An Empirical Examination of the Mechanisms Mediating between High-Performance Work Systems and the Performance of Japanese Organizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Takeuchi, Riki; Lepak, David P.; Wang, Heli; Takeuchi, Kazuo

2007-01-01

The resource-based view of the firm and social exchange perspectives are invoked to hypothesize linkages among high-performance work systems, collective human capital, the degree of social exchange in an establishment, and establishment performance. The authors argue that high-performance work systems generate a high level of collective human…

Building high-performance system for processing a daily large volume of Chinese satellites imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Huawu; Huang, Shicun; Wang, Qi; Pan, Zhiqiang; Xin, Yubin

2014-10-01

The number of Earth observation satellites from China increases dramatically recently and those satellites are acquiring a large volume of imagery daily. As the main portal of image processing and distribution from those Chinese satellites, the China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application (CRESDA) has been working with PCI Geomatics during the last three years to solve two issues in this regard: processing the large volume of data (about 1,500 scenes or 1 TB per day) in a timely manner and generating geometrically accurate orthorectified products. After three-year research and development, a high performance system has been built and successfully delivered. The high performance system has a service oriented architecture and can be deployed to a cluster of computers that may be configured with high end computing power. The high performance is gained through, first, making image processing algorithms into parallel computing by using high performance graphic processing unit (GPU) cards and multiple cores from multiple CPUs, and, second, distributing processing tasks to a cluster of computing nodes. While achieving up to thirty (and even more) times faster in performance compared with the traditional practice, a particular methodology was developed to improve the geometric accuracy of images acquired from Chinese satellites (including HJ-1 A/B, ZY-1-02C, ZY-3, GF-1, etc.). The methodology consists of fully automatic collection of dense ground control points (GCP) from various resources and then application of those points to improve the photogrammetric model of the images. The delivered system is up running at CRESDA for pre-operational production and has been and is generating good return on investment by eliminating a great amount of manual labor and increasing more than ten times of data throughput daily with fewer operators. Future work, such as development of more performance-optimized algorithms, robust image matching methods and application workflows, is identified to improve the system in the coming years.

Adopting a Social Marketing Mind-Set in School Social Work Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beauchemin, Pat; Kelly, Michael S.

2009-01-01

School social workers often conduct their business behind closed doors because much of their work is confidential. Even when they are not working in their offices, school social workers often blend into the fabric of the school culture, typically working behind the scenes and rarely taking credit for the valuable work they perform. However, if…

The Best Laid Plans: Designing Incentive Programs for School Leaders. WCER Working Paper No. 2014-7

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goff, Peter; Goldring, Ellen; Canney, Melissa

2014-01-01

Notable attention and effort has been directed toward improving educator productivity through the use of performance incentives. Little of this work has focused on incentive systems for school leaders (principals) and less yet examines performance pay systems used in practice. This research uses 34 funded grants from the federal Teacher Incentive…

On Time Performance Pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connell, Linda; Wichner, David; Jakey, Abegael

2013-01-01

Within many operations, the pressures for on-time performance are high. Each month, on-time statistics are reported to the Department of Transportation and made public. There is a natural tendency for employees under pressure to do their best to meet these objectives. As a result, pressure to get the job done within the allotted time may cause personnel to deviate from procedures and policies. Additionally, inadequate or unavailable resources may drive employees to work around standard processes that are seen as barriers. However, bypassing practices to enable on-time performance may affect more than the statistics. ASRS reports often highlight on-time performance pressures which may result in impact across all workgroups in an attempt to achieve on-time performance. Reporters often provide in-depth insights into their experiences which can be used by industry to identify and focus on the implementation of systemic fixes.

Graphene-based smart materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Xiaowen; Cheng, Huhu; Zhang, Miao; Zhao, Yang; Qu, Liangti; Shi, Gaoquan

2017-09-01

The high specific surface area and the excellent mechanical, electrical, optical and thermal properties of graphene make it an attractive component for high-performance stimuli-responsive or 'smart' materials. Complementary to these inherent properties, functionalization or hybridization can substantially improve the performance of these materials. Typical graphene-based smart materials include mechanically exfoliated perfect graphene, chemical vapour deposited high-quality graphene, chemically modified graphene (for example, graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide) and their macroscopic assemblies or composites. These materials are sensitive to a range of stimuli, including gas molecules or biomolecules, pH value, mechanical strain, electrical field, and thermal or optical excitation. In this Review, we outline different graphene-based smart materials and their potential applications in actuators, chemical or strain sensors, self-healing materials, photothermal therapy and controlled drug delivery. We also introduce the working mechanisms of graphene-based smart materials and discuss the challenges facing the realization of their practical applications.

Policy Levers Key for Primary Health Care Organizations to Support Primary Care Practices in Meeting Medical Home Expectations: Comparing Leading States to the Australian Experience

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract Several countries with highly ranked delivery systems have implemented locally-based, publicly-funded primary health care organizations (PHCOs) as vehicles to strengthen their primary care foundations. In the United States, state governments have started down a similar pathway with models that share similarities with international PHCOs. The objective of this study was to determine if these kinds of organizations were working with primary care practices to improve their ability to provide comprehensive, coordinated, and accessible patient-centered care that met quality, safety, and efficiency outcomes—all core attributes of a medical home. This qualitative study looked at 4 different PHCO models—3 from the United States and 1 from Australia—with similar objectives and scope. Primary and secondary data included semi-structured interviews with 26 PHCOs and a review of government documents. The study found that the 4 PHCO models were engaging practices to meet a number of medical home expectations, but the US PHCOs were more uniform in efforts to work with practices and focused on arranging services to meet the needs of complex patients. There was significant variation in level of effort between the Australian PHCOs. These differences can be explained through the state governments' selection of payment models and use of data frameworks to support collaboration and incentivize performance of both PHCOs and practices. These findings offer policy lessons to inform health reform efforts under way to better capitalize on the potential of PHCOs to support a high-functioning primary health foundation as an essential component to a reformed health system. PMID:26636485

A new kind of transparent and self-cleaning film for solar cells.

PubMed

Xu, Qi; Zhao, Qi; Zhu, Xiaofei; Cheng, Li; Bai, Suo; Wang, Zenghua; Meng, Leixing; Qin, Yong

2016-10-20

A kind of one step and in situ etching method is developed to fabricate a highly optically transparent and flexible self-cleaning superhydrophobic film (SSF). This SSF exhibits a very rough surface morphology with hierarchical structure, which makes it have a contact angle of 154.6° and a sliding angle of smaller than 1°. And the SSF can also be self-cleaned in the wind. The SSF hierarchical structure scatters the incident light, but it almost doesn't attenuate the light. So the SSF has antireflection properties and a high light transmittance of 94%. The excellent self-cleaning property, high light transmittance and antireflection property mean that the SSF greatly enhances the performance of solar cells in practical working conditions. The solar cell's efficiency maintains at 95.8% of its initial value after covering with the SSF, which is about 1.7 times higher than that of the solar cell covered with dust, as in practical conditions.

Growing three-dimensional biomorphic graphene powders using naturally abundant diatomite templates towards high solution processability.

PubMed

Chen, Ke; Li, Cong; Shi, Liurong; Gao, Teng; Song, Xiuju; Bachmatiuk, Alicja; Zou, Zhiyu; Deng, Bing; Ji, Qingqing; Ma, Donglin; Peng, Hailin; Du, Zuliang; Rümmeli, Mark Hermann; Zhang, Yanfeng; Liu, Zhongfan

2016-11-07

Mass production of high-quality graphene with low cost is the footstone for its widespread practical applications. We present herein a self-limited growth approach for producing graphene powders by a small-methane-flow chemical vapour deposition process on naturally abundant and industrially widely used diatomite (biosilica) substrates. Distinct from the chemically exfoliated graphene, thus-produced biomorphic graphene is highly crystallized with atomic layer-thickness controllability, structural designability and less noncarbon impurities. In particular, the individual graphene microarchitectures preserve a three-dimensional naturally curved surface morphology of original diatom frustules, effectively overcoming the interlayer stacking and hence giving excellent dispersion performance in fabricating solution-processible electrodes. The graphene films derived from as-made graphene powders, compatible with either rod-coating, or inkjet and roll-to-roll printing techniques, exhibit much higher electrical conductivity (∼110,700 S m -1 at 80% transmittance) than previously reported solution-based counterparts. This work thus puts forward a practical route for low-cost mass production of various powdery two-dimensional materials.

Growing three-dimensional biomorphic graphene powders using naturally abundant diatomite templates towards high solution processability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ke; Li, Cong; Shi, Liurong; Gao, Teng; Song, Xiuju; Bachmatiuk, Alicja; Zou, Zhiyu; Deng, Bing; Ji, Qingqing; Ma, Donglin; Peng, Hailin; Du, Zuliang; Rümmeli, Mark Hermann; Zhang, Yanfeng; Liu, Zhongfan

2016-11-01

Mass production of high-quality graphene with low cost is the footstone for its widespread practical applications. We present herein a self-limited growth approach for producing graphene powders by a small-methane-flow chemical vapour deposition process on naturally abundant and industrially widely used diatomite (biosilica) substrates. Distinct from the chemically exfoliated graphene, thus-produced biomorphic graphene is highly crystallized with atomic layer-thickness controllability, structural designability and less noncarbon impurities. In particular, the individual graphene microarchitectures preserve a three-dimensional naturally curved surface morphology of original diatom frustules, effectively overcoming the interlayer stacking and hence giving excellent dispersion performance in fabricating solution-processible electrodes. The graphene films derived from as-made graphene powders, compatible with either rod-coating, or inkjet and roll-to-roll printing techniques, exhibit much higher electrical conductivity (~110,700 S m-1 at 80% transmittance) than previously reported solution-based counterparts. This work thus puts forward a practical route for low-cost mass production of various powdery two-dimensional materials.

Career satisfaction and surgical practice patterns among female ophthalmologists.

PubMed

Jinapriya, Delan; Cockerill, Rhonda; Trope, Graham E

2003-08-01

To identify gender differences in career satisfaction and practice patterns among Ontario ophthalmologists. Survey mailed to all Ontario female ophthalmologists (n = 65) and a random sample of male ophthalmologists (n = 72). Men reported performing more operations per month (p = 0.039) and more operations in the last typical year (p = 0.003). More men than women were doing laser refractive surgery (p = 0.004). There were no gender differences in the proportion performing eye surgery or in the hours worked per week or weeks worked per year. Women reported being primarily responsible for their children for significantly more hours per week than men (p = 0.0003). There were no gender differences in any of the parameters of career satisfaction evaluated: number of hours worked, number of hours in the operating room (OR), balance with personal life, flexibility of work schedules, ability to structure work, relationship with colleagues and relationship with OR staff. Despite spending significantly more hours as the primary supervisor of their children, female ophthalmologists were maintaining the same work week as their male colleagues and reported equal career satisfaction. Further investigation is needed to explore the differences between male and female ophthalmologists in the reported number of operations performed.

Accounting for the professional work of pathologists performing autopsies.

PubMed

Sinard, John H

2013-02-01

With an increasing trend toward fee-code-based methods of measuring the clinical professional productivity of pathologists, those pathologists whose clinical activities include the performance of autopsies have been disadvantaged by the lack of generally accepted workload equivalents for autopsy performance and supervision. To develop recommended benchmarks to account for this important and often overlooked professional activity. Based on the professional experience of members of the Autopsy Committee of the College of American Pathologists, a survey of autopsy pathologists, and the limited additional material available in the literature, we developed recommended workload equivalents for the professional work associated with performing an autopsy, which we elected to express as multiples of established Current Procedural Terminology codes. As represented in Table 3 , we recommend that the professional work associated with a full adult autopsy be equivalent to 5.5 × 88309-26. Additional professional credit of 1.5 × 88309-26 should be added for evaluation of the brain and for a detailed clinical-pathologic discussion. The corresponding value for a fetal/neonatal autopsy is 4.0 × 88309-26. Although we recognize that autopsy practices vary significantly from institution to institution, it is hoped that our proposed guidelines will be a valuable starting point that individual practices can then adapt, taking into account the specifics of their practice environment.

The correlation between acoustic and magnetic properties in the long working metal boiler drum with the parameters of the electron microscope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ababkov, Nikolai, E-mail: n.ababkov@rambler.ru; Smirnov, Alexander, E-mail: galvas.kem@gmail.com

The present paper presents comparative analysis of measurement results of acoustic and magnetic properties in long working metal of boiler drums and the results obtained by methods of electronic microscopy. The structure of the metal sample from the fracture zone to the base metal (metal working sample long) and the center of the base metal before welding (weld metal sample) was investigated by electron microscopy. Studies performed by spectral acoustic, magnetic noise and electron microscopic methods were conducted on the same plots and the same samples of long working and weld metal of high-pressure boiler drums. The analysis of researchmore » results showed high sensitivity of spectral-acoustic and magnetic-noise methods to definition changes of microstructure parameters. Practical application of spectral-acoustic and magnetic noise NDT method is possible for the detection of irregularities and changes in structural and phase state of the long working and weld metal of boiler drums, made of a special molybdenum steel (such as 20M). The above technique can be used to evaluate the structure and physical-mechanical properties of the long working metal of boiler drums in the energy sector.« less

Component Repair Experiment-1: An Experiment Evaluating Electronic Component-Level Repair During Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Easton, John W.; Struk, Peter M.

2012-01-01

The Component Repair Experiment-1 (CRE-1) examines the capability for astronauts to perform electronics repair tasks in space. The goal is to determine the current capabilities and limits for the crew, and to make recommendations to improve and expand the range of work that astronauts may perform. CRE-1 provided two-layer, functional circuit boards and replacement components, a small tool kit, written and video training materials, and 1 hr of hands on training for the crew slated to perform the experiment approximately 7 months prior to the mission. Astronauts Michael Fincke and Sandra Magnus performed the work aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in February and March 2009. The astronauts were able to remove and replace components successfully, demonstrating the feasibility of performing component-level electronics repairs within a spacecraft. Several unsuccessful tasks demonstrated areas in need of improvement. These include improved and longer training prior to a mission, an improved soldering iron with a higher operating temperature and steady power source, video training and practice boards for refresher work or practice before a repair, and improved and varied hand tools and containment system.

Who will be the Radiologists of Tomorrow? A survey of radiology during the "Practical Year" in Germany.

PubMed

Dettmer, Sabine; Fischer, Volkhard; Paeßens, Carolin; Meyer, Simone; Wacker, Frank K; Rodt, Thomas

2017-10-01

Purpose  Aim of our study was to evaluate the motivation of medical students in their final year of medical school to choose radiology for further specialization by means of a Germany-wide survey. Materials and Methods  The survey was performed during the 2015/16 semester among German medical students in their four months radiology elective during the final year. Invitations for the study were distributed by the Student Secretariats of each university. The survey was web-based with EvaSys 7.0 software. Questions on radiology contents during medical studies and "practical year" were part of the survey. Plans for residency and possible advantages and disadvantages of radiology as medical specialty were inquired. Descriptive statistics and group comparisons were used as analysis methods. Results  89 students participated in the survey at the beginning and 60 students at the end of the practical year. Of these 39 students could be identified who answered both questionnaires. Most students were satisfied with their final year radiology elective (mean 1.8 on a range from 1 to 5). Nevertheless, they criticized mentoring during routine work (mean 2.1) and a lack of educational courses (mean 2.1). Most students (83 %) were uncertain about their residency choice at the beginning of their "practical year" and about one fifth changed their plans. From the students' point of view main advantages of radiology included contact with many other clinical disciplines (87 %) and the working conditions (68 %). The reduced patient contact (42 %), the large amount of work at a computer (43 %), and the dependency on referring physicians (42 %) were regarded as the main disadvantages. The students regarded the way radiology is taught during the studies as not practical enough. With regard to radiology the majority of students (63 %) felt poorly prepared for their future work. Conclusion  The "practical year" is important regarding the choice of future specialization. There was a high degree of satisfaction with the "practical year" in radiology. The mentoring during routine work and a lack of educational courses was mildly criticized. These factors provide room for improvement to foster students' interest in radiology. Key Points   · The "practical year" is important regarding the choice of further specialization.. · Criticisms of radiology in the "practical year" were mentoring and courses.. · Students feel poorly prepared for their future work regarding practical radiological skills.. Citation Format · Dettmer S, Fischer V, Paeßens C et al. Who will be the Radiologists of Tomorrow? A survey of radiology during the "Practical Year" in Germany. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2017; 189: 967 - 976. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Recent Progress on Flexible and Wearable Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Xue, Qi; Sun, Jinfeng; Huang, Yan; Zhu, Minshen; Pei, Zengxia; Li, Hongfei; Wang, Yukun; Li, Na; Zhang, Haiyan; Zhi, Chunyi

2017-12-01

Recently, wearable electronic devices including electrical sensors, flexible displays, and health monitors have received considerable attention and experienced rapid progress. Wearable supercapacitors attract tremendous attention mainly due to their high stability, low cost, fast charging/discharging, and high efficiency; properties that render them value for developing fully flexible devices. In this Concept, the recent achievements and advances made in flexible and wearable supercapacitors are presented, especially highlighting the promising performances of yarn/fiber-shaped and planar supercapacitors. On the basis of their working mechanism, electrode materials including carbon-based materials, metal oxide-based materials, and conductive polymers with an emphasis on the performance-optimization method are introduced. The latest representative techniques and active materials of recently developed supercapacitors with superior performance are summarized. Furthermore, the designs of 1D and 2D electrodes are discussed according to their electrically conductive supporting materials. Finally, conclusions, challenges, and perspective in optimizing and developing the electrochemical performance and function of wearable supercapacitors for their practical utility are addressed. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Using Maslow's pyramid and the national database of nursing quality indicators(R) to attain a healthier work environment.

PubMed

Groff-Paris, Lisa; Terhaar, Mary

2010-12-07

The strongest predictor of nurse job dissatisfaction and intent to leave is that of stress in the practice environment. Good communication, control over practice, decision making at the bedside, teamwork, and nurse empowerment have been found to increase nurse satisfaction and decrease turnover. In this article we share our experience of developing a rapid-design process to change the approach to performance improvement so as to increase engagement, empowerment, effectiveness, and the quality of the professional practice environment. Meal and non-meal breaks were identified as the target area for improvement. Qualitative and quantitative data support the success of this project. We begin this article with a review of literature related to work environment and retention and a presentation of the frameworks used to improve the work environment, specifically Maslow's theory of the Hierarchy of Inborn Needs and the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators Survey. We then describe our performance improvement project and share our conclusion and recommendations.

“Ni-Less” Cathodes for High Energy Density, Intermediate Temperature Na-NiCl 2 Batteries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, Hee-Jung; Lu, Xiaochuan; Bonnett, Jeffery F.

Among various battery technologies being considered for stationary energy storage applications, sodium-metal halide (Na-MH) batteries have become one of the most attractive candidates because of the abundance of raw materials, long cycle life, high energy density, and superior safety. However, one of issues limiting its practical application is the relatively expensive nickel (Ni) used in the cathode. In the present work, we focus on of efforts to develop new Ni-based cathodes, and demonstrate that a much higher specific energy density of 405 Wh/kg (23% higher than state-of-the-art Na-MH batteries) can be achieved at an operating temperature of 190oC. Furthermore, 15%more » less Ni is used in the new cathode than that in conventional Na-NiCl2 batteries. Long-term cycling tests also show stable electrochemical performance for over 300 cycles with excellent capacity retention (~100%). The results in this work indicate that these advances can significantly reduce the raw material cost associated with Ni (a 31% reduction) and promote practical applications of Na-MH battery technologies in stationary energy storage systems.« less

Performance Metrics as Formal Structures and through the Lens of Social Mechanisms: When Do They Work and How Do They Influence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colyvas, Jeannette A.

2012-01-01

Our current educational environment is subject to persistent calls for accountability, evidence-based practice, and data use for improvement, which largely take the form of performance metrics (PMs). This rapid proliferation of PMs has profoundly influenced the ways in which scholars and practitioners think about their own practices and the larger…

Rule-based optimization and multicriteria decision support for packaging a truck chassis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, Martin; Lindroth, Peter; Welke, Richard

2017-06-01

Trucks are highly individualized products where exchangeable parts are flexibly combined to suit different customer requirements, this leading to a great complexity in product development. Therefore, an optimization approach based on constraint programming is proposed for automatically packaging parts of a truck chassis by following packaging rules expressed as constraints. A multicriteria decision support system is developed where a database of truck layouts is computed, among which interactive navigation then can be performed. The work has been performed in cooperation with Volvo Group Trucks Technology (GTT), from which specific rules have been used. Several scenarios are described where the methods developed can be successfully applied and lead to less time-consuming manual work, fewer mistakes, and greater flexibility in configuring trucks. A numerical evaluation is also presented showing the efficiency and practical relevance of the methods, which are implemented in a software tool.

Associations Among Nursing Work Environment and Health-Promoting Behaviors of Nurses and Nursing Performance Quality: A Multilevel Modeling Approach.

PubMed

Cho, Hyeonmi; Han, Kihye

2018-05-14

This study aimed to determine the relationships among the unit-level nursing work environment and individual-level health-promoting behaviors of hospital nurses in South Korea and their perceived nursing performance quality. This study used a cross-sectional design. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires from 432 nurses in 57 units at five hospitals in South Korea. Nursing performance quality, nursing work environment, and health-promoting behaviors were measured using the Six Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance, Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index, and Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II, respectively. Nurses working in units with nurse managers who were characterized by better ability and by quality leadership, and who provided more support to nurses exhibited significantly greater health responsibility and physical activity. Nurses working with sufficient staffing and resources reported better stress management. Positive collegial nurse-physician relationships in units were significantly associated with more healthy eating among nurses. Nurses working in units with sufficient staffing and resources, and who had a higher level of spiritual growth and health responsibility, were more likely to perceive their nursing performance quality as being higher. To improve the quality of nursing practice, hospitals should focus on helping nurses maintain healthy lifestyles, as well as improving their working conditions in South Korea. Organizational support for adequate human resources and materials, mutual cooperation among nurses and physicians, and workplace health-promotion interventions for spiritual growth and health responsibility are needed. Organizational efforts to provide sufficient staffing and resources, boost the development of personal resources among nurses, and promote nurses' responsibility for their own health could be effective strategies for improving nursing performance quality and patient outcomes. © 2018 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Associations between degrees of task delegation and job satisfaction of general practitioners and their staff: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Riisgaard, Helle; Søndergaard, Jens; Munch, Maria; Le, Jette V; Ledderer, Loni; Pedersen, Line B; Nexøe, Jørgen

2017-01-17

In recent years, the healthcare system in the western world has undergone a structural development caused by changes in demography and pattern of disease. In order to maintain the healthcare system cost-effective, new tasks are placed in general practice urging the general practitioners to rethink the working structure without compromising the quality of care. However, there is a substantial variation in the degree to which general practitioners delegate tasks to their staff, and it is not known how these various degrees of task delegation influence the job satisfaction of general practitioners and their staff. We performed a cross-sectional study based on two electronic questionnaires, one for general practitioners and one for their staff. Both questionnaires were divided into two parts, a part exploring the degree of task delegation regarding management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in general practice and a part concerning the general job satisfaction and motivation to work. We found a significant association between perceived "maximal degree" of task delegation in management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the staff's overall job satisfaction. The odds ratio of the staff's satisfaction with the working environment displayed a tendency that there is also an association with "maximal degree" of task delegation. In the analysis of the general practitioners, the odds ratios of the results indicate that there is a tendency that "maximal degree" of task delegation is associated with overall job satisfaction, satisfaction with the challenges in work, and satisfaction with the working environment. We conclude that a high degree of task delegation is significantly associated with overall job satisfaction of the staff, and that there is a tendency that a high degree of task delegation is associated with the general practitioners' and the staff's satisfaction with the working environment as well as with general practitioners' overall job satisfaction and satisfaction with challenges in work. To qualify future delegation processes within general practice, further research could explore the reasons for our findings.

Iterative Design toward Equity: Youth Repertoires of Practice in a High School Maker Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Lee; Dixon, Colin; Betser, Sagit

2018-01-01

Despite their potential, maker activities do not always support equitable engagement. The authors report on a design research study where they worked to support equitable engagement of youth repertoires of practice in a high school makerspace. Their orientation toward equity is grounded in the construct of repertoires of practice, and they focus…

The effects of adaptive working memory training and mindfulness meditation training on processing efficiency and worry in high worriers.

PubMed

Course-Choi, Jenna; Saville, Harry; Derakshan, Nazanin

2017-02-01

Worry is the principle characteristic of generalised anxiety disorder, and has been linked to deficient attentional control, a main function of working memory (WM). Adaptive WM training and mindfulness meditation practice (MMP) have both shown potential to increase attentional control. The present study hence investigates the individual and combined effects of MMP and a dual adaptive n-back task on a non-clinical, randomised sample of high worriers. 60 participants were tested before and after seven days of training. Assessment included self-report questionnaires, as well as performance tasks measuring attentional control and working memory capacity. Combined training resulted in continued reduction in worry in the week after training, highlighting the potential of utilising n-back training as an adjunct to established clinical treatment. Engagement with WM training correlated with immediate improvements in attentional control and resilience, with worry decreasing over time. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integration of classroom science performance assessment tasks by participants of the Wisconsin Performance Assessment Development Project (WPADP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonnis, Dorothy Ann

The goals of this interpretive study were to examine selected Wisconsin science teachers' perceptions of teaching and learning science, to describe the scope of classroom performance assessment practices, and to gain an understanding of teachers' personal and professional experiences that influenced their belief systems of teaching, learning and assessment. The study was designed to answer the research questions: (1) How does the integration of performance assessment relate to the teachers' views of teaching and learning? (2) How are the selected teachers integrating performance assessment in their teaching? (3) What past personal and professional experiences have influenced teachers' attitudes and beliefs related to their classroom performance assessment practices? Purposeful sampling was used to select seven Wisconsin elementary, middle and high school science teachers who participated in the WPADP initiative from 1993-1995. Data collection methods included a Teaching Practices Inventory (TPI), semi-structured interviews, teacher developed portfolios, portfolio conferences, and classroom observations. Four themes and multiple categories emerged through data analysis to answer the research questions and to describe the results. Several conclusions were drawn from this research. First, science teachers who appeared to effectively integrate performance assessment, demonstrated transformational thinking in their attitudes and beliefs about teaching and learning science. In addition, these teachers viewed assessment and instructional practices as interdependent. Third, transformational teachers generally used well defined criteria to judge student work and made it public to the students. Transformational teachers provided students with real-world performance assessment tasks that were also learning events. Furthermore, student task responses informed the transformational teachers about effectiveness of instruction, students' complex thinking skills, quality of assessment instruments, students' creativity, and students' self-assessment skills. Finally, transformational teachers maintained integration of performance assessment practices through sustaining teacher support networks, engaging in professional development programs, and reflecting upon past personal and professional experiences related to teaching, learning and assessment. Salient conflicts overcome or minimized by transformational teachers include the conflict between assessment scoring and grading issues, validity and reliability concerns about the performance assessment tasks used, and the difficulty for teachers to consistently provide public criteria to students before task administration.

Development of quality measures for monitoring and improving care in gastroenterology.

PubMed

Germansky, Katharine A; Leffler, Daniel A

2011-06-01

Over the past decade, most quality assurance (QA) efforts in gastroenterology have been aimed at endoscopy. Endoscopic quality improvement was the rational area to begin QA work in gastroenterology due to the relatively acute nature of complications and the high volume of procedures performed. While endoscopy is currently the focus of most quality assurance (QA) measures in gastroenterology, more recent efforts have begun to address clinical gastroenterology practices both in the outpatient and inpatient settings. Clinical outpatient and inpatient gastroenterology is laden with areas where standardization could benefit patient care. While data and experience in clinical gastroenterology QA is relatively limited, it is clear that inconsistent use of guidelines and practice variations in gastroenterology can lead to lower quality care. In this review, we review a variety of areas in clinical gastroenterology where existing guidelines and published data suggest both the need and practicality of active QA measures. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The influence of loan repayment on rural healthcare provider recruitment and retention in Colorado.

PubMed

Renner, Daniel M; Westfall, John M; Wilroy, Lou Ann; Ginde, Adit A

2010-01-01

There is an ongoing shortage of rural healthcare providers relative to urban healthcare providers worldwide. Many strategies have been implemented to increase the distribution of rural healthcare providers, and financial incentives such as loan repayment programs have become popular means to both recruit and retain healthcare providers in rural communities. Studies detailing the effects of such programs on rural provider recruitment and retention are limited. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of loan repayment and other factors on the recruitment and retention of healthcare providers in rural Colorado, USA, and to compare the motivations and attitudes of these rural providers with their urban counterparts. A survey was sent to 122 healthcare providers who had participated in one of three loan repayment programs in Colorado between the years of 1992 and 2007: the Colorado Health Professional Loan Repayment Program; the Colorado Rural Outreach Program; and the Dental Loan Repayment Program of Colorado. Differentiation between rural and urban communities was accomplished by using the Rural Urban Commuting Area Codes developed by the University of Washington's Rural Health Research Center and Economic Research Service. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA from StataCorp. Of the 93 respondents included in the study, 57 worked in rural communities and 36 worked in urban communities during their programs. Of the rural participants, 74% were already working in or intending to work in an eligible community when they were made aware of the loan repayment program. Of those planning to work in a rural community regardless of any loan repayment option, 42% reported that the loan repayment program had an important influence on the specific community in which they chose to practice. Of the rural participants already working in a rural community, 38% reported loan repayment as being an important factor in their retention. The most important factors the rural providers cited for their recruitment were the location of the community, scope of practice, and family fit with the community. The most important factors for the urban providers were the location of the community, salary, and scope of practice. Of the rural providers, 36% attended rural high schools, while 9% of urban providers attended rural high schools. Of the rural providers who were planning on practicing in a rural area regardless of any loan repayment option, 37% had attended rural high schools. Rural participants most often left their communities because their families wanted to move, personal or professional isolation, and dissatisfaction with the medical community. Of rural participants 22% cited the desire for a higher income as an important reason to leave their communities, while the desire for a higher income was the most commonly cited reason for the urban providers. Rural retention rates were not influenced by past attendance at rural high schools or by intention to practice in a rural community regardless of loan repayment. Loan repayment programs targeting rural Colorado usually enroll providers who would have worked in a rural area regardless of loan repayment opportunities, but are likely to play a role in providers' choice of specific rural community for practice. They also appear to have a limited but important influence on rural provider retention, though financial concerns are generally less influential for non-retained rural providers than are family preferences and professional dissatisfaction.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Standards of professional performance for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (Competent, Proficient, and Expert) in Sustainable, Resilient, and Healthy Food and Water Systems.

PubMed

Tagtow, Angie; Robien, Kim; Bergquist, Erin; Bruening, Meg; Dierks, Lisa; Hartman, Barbara E; Robinson-O'Brien, Ramona; Steinitz, Tamara; Tahsin, Bettina; Underwood, Teri; Wilkins, Jennifer

2014-03-01

Sustainability is the ability of a system to be maintained over the long term. Resilience is the ability of a system to withstand disturbances and continue to function in a sustainable manner. Issues of sustainability and resilience apply to all aspects of nutrition and dietetics practice, can be practiced at both the program and systems level, and are broader than any one specific practice setting or individual intervention. Given an increasing need to apply principles of sustainability and resilience to nutrition and dietetics practice, as well as growing interest among the public and by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists of health issues related to food and water systems, the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, with guidance from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Management Committee, has developed the Standards of Professional Performance as a tool for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists working in sustainable, resilient, and healthy food and water systems to assess their current skill levels and to identify areas for further professional development in this emerging practice area. This Standards of Professional Performance document covers six standards of professional performance: quality in practice, competence and accountability, provision of services, application of research, communication and application of knowledge, and utilization and management of resources. Within each standard, specific indicators provide measurable action statements that illustrate how sustainable, resilient, and healthy food and water systems principles can be applied to practice. The indicators describe three skill levels (competent, proficient, and expert) for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists working in sustainable, resilient, and healthy food and water systems. Copyright © 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between nurses' practice environments and nursing outcomes in Turkey.

PubMed

Topçu, I; Türkmen, E; Badır, A; Göktepe, N; Miral, M; Albayrak, S; Kebapçı, A; Serbest, Ş; Özcan, D

2016-06-01

This study aimed to understand nursing practice environment characteristics in Istanbul-area hospitals in Turkey, the relationship between these characteristics, nurse burnout levels and nurses' intentions to leave work. A well-known relationship exists in many countries between nursing practice environments and nurse burnout and intention to leave work. However, little is known about the relationship between practice environment characteristics and nursing outcomes in Turkey. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 2592 nurses in 20 Ministry of Health and 29 private hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey. A demographic questionnaire, Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index and Maslach Burnout Inventory were used for data collection. Almost half of nurses suffered from high-level burnout related to emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment, and one-third reported depersonalization and the intent to leave their jobs within a year. A poor nursing practice environment was the leading factor, increasing nurses' burnout levels in all subdimensions. Burnout related to emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment and poor practice environment increased intention to leave. Permanent positions decreased intention. There was a relationship between poor practice environments and nursing outcomes in Turkey. The use of a survey data collection method is a potential study limitation. Quantitative and qualitative methods could be combined to obtain more detailed objective data about nursing practice environments. Poor practice environments, high-level burnout and intention to leave work are significant problems in Istanbul, Turkey. Favourable practice environments and job security should be provided to improve nursing outcomes. Policymakers and nurse managers should be aware of any negative issues regarding nursing practice environments and job security to improve nursing outcomes. © 2016 International Council of Nurses.

Evaluation of the Validity of Job Exposure Matrix for Psychosocial Factors at Work

PubMed Central

Solovieva, Svetlana; Pensola, Tiina; Kausto, Johanna; Shiri, Rahman; Heliövaara, Markku; Burdorf, Alex; Husgafvel-Pursiainen, Kirsti; Viikari-Juntura, Eira

2014-01-01

Objective To study the performance of a developed job exposure matrix (JEM) for the assessment of psychosocial factors at work in terms of accuracy, possible misclassification bias and predictive ability to detect known associations with depression and low back pain (LBP). Materials and Methods We utilized two large population surveys (the Health 2000 Study and the Finnish Work and Health Surveys), one to construct the JEM and another to test matrix performance. In the first study, information on job demands, job control, monotonous work and social support at work was collected via face-to-face interviews. Job strain was operationalized based on job demands and job control using quadrant approach. In the second study, the sensitivity and specificity were estimated applying a Bayesian approach. The magnitude of misclassification error was examined by calculating the biased odds ratios as a function of the sensitivity and specificity of the JEM and fixed true prevalence and odds ratios. Finally, we adjusted for misclassification error the observed associations between JEM measures and selected health outcomes. Results The matrix showed a good accuracy for job control and job strain, while its performance for other exposures was relatively low. Without correction for exposure misclassification, the JEM was able to detect the association between job strain and depression in men and between monotonous work and LBP in both genders. Conclusions Our results suggest that JEM more accurately identifies occupations with low control and high strain than those with high demands or low social support. Overall, the present JEM is a useful source of job-level psychosocial exposures in epidemiological studies lacking individual-level exposure information. Furthermore, we showed the applicability of a Bayesian approach in the evaluation of the performance of the JEM in a situation where, in practice, no gold standard of exposure assessment exists. PMID:25268276

Modeling workflow to design machine translation applications for public health practice

PubMed Central

Turner, Anne M.; Brownstein, Megumu K.; Cole, Kate; Karasz, Hilary; Kirchhoff, Katrin

2014-01-01

Objective Provide a detailed understanding of the information workflow processes related to translating health promotion materials for limited English proficiency individuals in order to inform the design of context-driven machine translation (MT) tools for public health (PH). Materials and Methods We applied a cognitive work analysis framework to investigate the translation information workflow processes of two large health departments in Washington State. Researchers conducted interviews, performed a task analysis, and validated results with PH professionals to model translation workflow and identify functional requirements for a translation system for PH. Results The study resulted in a detailed description of work related to translation of PH materials, an information workflow diagram, and a description of attitudes towards MT technology. We identified a number of themes that hold design implications for incorporating MT in PH translation practice. A PH translation tool prototype was designed based on these findings. Discussion This study underscores the importance of understanding the work context and information workflow for which systems will be designed. Based on themes and translation information workflow processes, we identified key design guidelines for incorporating MT into PH translation work. Primary amongst these is that MT should be followed by human review for translations to be of high quality and for the technology to be adopted into practice. Counclusion The time and costs of creating multilingual health promotion materials are barriers to translation. PH personnel were interested in MT's potential to improve access to low-cost translated PH materials, but expressed concerns about ensuring quality. We outline design considerations and a potential machine translation tool to best fit MT systems into PH practice. PMID:25445922

The iPlant Collaborative: Cyberinfrastructure for Enabling Data to Discovery for the Life Sciences.

PubMed

Merchant, Nirav; Lyons, Eric; Goff, Stephen; Vaughn, Matthew; Ware, Doreen; Micklos, David; Antin, Parker

2016-01-01

The iPlant Collaborative provides life science research communities access to comprehensive, scalable, and cohesive computational infrastructure for data management; identity management; collaboration tools; and cloud, high-performance, high-throughput computing. iPlant provides training, learning material, and best practice resources to help all researchers make the best use of their data, expand their computational skill set, and effectively manage their data and computation when working as distributed teams. iPlant's platform permits researchers to easily deposit and share their data and deploy new computational tools and analysis workflows, allowing the broader community to easily use and reuse those data and computational analyses.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Driscoll, S.B.; Walton, T.C.

Polyimides have gained wide acceptance for use in many aerospace composite, electrical, and industrial applications. The intent of this work is to share with the reader practical knowledge of how some of the currently available commercial systems perform. Several prepreg processable polyimide systems were evaluated for adhesive properties and characterized with the use of SEM, TGA, DSC, TMA, Dynamic Spectroscopy, and Force vs. Time Electronic Impact Analyses for comparison. The chemistry and nature of these resin systems is reviewed, including several BMIs (new hot melts examined)., Amide-Imides (Al) and Thermoplastic Polyimide (TPI). PMR-15 and a high temperature epoxy resin aremore » included for comparison of high temperature properties. 17 references.« less

[Decision-making process and administrative practice: managing the State Health Secretariat in Bahia, Brazil].

PubMed

Coelho, Thereza Christina Bahia; Paim, Jairnilson Silva

2005-01-01

This case study is based on research performed by the Bahia State Health Secretariat (SESAB), aimed at analyzing management practices during the implementation of a State government administrative reform. The institutional agenda shows evidence of limited participation by civil society and technical and operational staff in problem selection and prioritization, resulting from a work process pressured by high-level executive government staff. Decisions regarding "output" (projects, services, and activities) were made under the responsibility of subordinate operational levels and did not appear as issues in the institutional routine. Concerns related to "input" (financial and human resources) consumed most of the high-level efforts, with internal and external negotiations and compromises to assure access to them. Meanwhile the possible "outcome", namely public health status, represents the "occult subject" of the institutional discourse. Information emerges in institutional disputes as a technical "power resource" in its medical, epidemiological, health, and administrative dimensions. The issue of government "representation" and allied interests is based on ideological dispositions and authoritarian practices, thus contradicting the need for management transparency and modernization.

Interim OECA Guidance on Enhancing Regional-State Planning and Communication on Compliance Assurance Work in Authorized States

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Guidance outlining principles and best practices for State and EPA collaboration in inspections and enforcement. work planning and implementation. National Enforcement Initiatives, and outcome and performance measurement.

A method for work modeling at complex systems: towards applying information systems in family health care units.

PubMed

Jatobá, Alessandro; de Carvalho, Paulo Victor R; da Cunha, Amauri Marques

2012-01-01

Work in organizations requires a minimum level of consensus on the understanding of the practices performed. To adopt technological devices to support the activities in environments where work is complex, characterized by the interdependence among a large number of variables, understanding about how work is done not only takes an even greater importance, but also becomes a more difficult task. Therefore, this study aims to present a method for modeling of work in complex systems, which allows improving the knowledge about the way activities are performed where these activities do not simply happen by performing procedures. Uniting techniques of Cognitive Task Analysis with the concept of Work Process, this work seeks to provide a method capable of providing a detailed and accurate vision of how people perform their tasks, in order to apply information systems for supporting work in organizations.

Individual and contextual factors associated with community health workers' performance in Nyanza Province, Kenya: a multilevel analysis.

PubMed

Kawakatsu, Yoshito; Sugishita, Tomohiko; Tsutsui, Junya; Oruenjo, Kennedy; Wakhule, Stephen; Kibosia, Kennedy; Were, Eric; Honda, Sumihisa

2015-10-01

Several African and South Asian countries are currently investing in new cadres of community health workers (CHWs) as a major part of strategies aimed at reaching the Millennium Development Goals. However, one review concluded that community health workers did not consistently provide services likely to have substantial effects on health and that quality was usually poor. The objective of this research was to assess the CHWs' performance in Western Kenya and describe determinants of that performance using a multilevel analysis of the two levels, individual and supervisor/community. This study conducted three surveys between August and September 2011 in Nyanza Province, Kenya. The participants of the three surveys were all 1,788 active CHWs, all their supervisors, and 2,560 randomly selected mothers who had children aged 12 to 23 months. CHW performance was generated by three indicators: reporting rate, health knowledge and household coverage. Multilevel analysis was performed to describe the determinants of that performance. The significant factors associated with the CHWs' performance were their marital status, educational level, the size of their household, their work experience, personal sanitation practice, number of supervisions received and the interaction between their supervisors' better health knowledge and the number of supervisions. A high quality of routine supervisions is one of the key interventions in sustaining a CHW's performance. In addition, decreasing the dropout rate of CHWs is important both for sustaining their performance and for avoiding the additional cost of replacing them. As for the selection criteria of new CHWs, good educational status, availability of supporters for household chores and good sanitation practices are all important in selecting CHWs who can maintain their high performance level.

Variations in Oncologist Recommendations for Chemotherapy for Stage IV Lung Cancer: What Is the Role of Performance Status?

PubMed

Tisnado, Diana; Malin, Jennifer; Kahn, Katherine; Landrum, Mary Beth; Fletcher, Robert; Klabunde, Carrie; Clauser, Steven; Rogers, Selwyn O; Keating, Nancy L

2016-07-01

Chemotherapy prolongs survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. However, few studies have included patients with poor performance status. This study examined rates of oncologists' recommendations for chemotherapy by patient performance status and symptoms and how physician characteristics influence chemotherapy recommendations. We surveyed medical oncologists involved in the care of a population-based cohort of patients with lung cancer from the CanCORS (Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance) study. Physicians were queried about their likelihood to recommend chemotherapy to patients with stage IV lung cancer with varying performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 [good] v 3 [poor]) and presence or absence of tumor-related pain. Repeated measures logistic regression was used to estimate the independent associations of patients' performance status and symptoms and physicians' demographic and practice characteristics with chemotherapy recommendations. Nearly all physicians (adjusted rate, 97% to 99%) recommended chemotherapy for patients with good performance status, and approximately half (adjusted rate, 38% to 53%) recommended chemotherapy for patients with poor performance status (P < .001). Compared with patient factors, physician and practice characteristics were less strongly associated with chemotherapy recommendations in adjusted analyses. Strong consensus among oncologists exists for chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and good performance status. However, the relatively high rate of chemotherapy recommendations for patients with poor performance status despite the unfavorable risk-benefit profile highlights the need for ongoing work to define high-value care in oncology and to implement and evaluate strategies to align incentives for such care. Copyright © 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Ngi and Internet2: accelerating the creation of tomorrow's internet.

PubMed

Kratz, M; Ackerman, M; Hanss, T; Corbato, S

2001-01-01

Internet2 is a consortium of leading U.S. universities working in partnership with industry and the U.S. government's Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative to develop a faster, more reliable Internet for research and education including enhanced, high-performance networking services and the advanced applications that are enabled by those services [1]. By facilitating and coordinating the development, deployment, operation, and technology transfer of advanced, network-based applications and network services, Internet2 and NGI are working together to fundamentally change the way scientists, engineers, clinicians, and others work together. [http://www.internet2.edu] The NGI Program has three tracks: research, network testbeds, and applications. The aim of the research track is to promote experimentation with the next generation of network technologies. The network testbed track aims to develop next generation network testbeds to connect universities and federal research institutions at speeds that are sufficient to demonstrate new technologies and support future research. The aim of the applications track is to demonstrate new applications, enabled by the NGI networks, to meet important national goals and missions [2]. [http://www.ngi.gov/] The Internet2/NGI backbone networks, Abilene and vBNS (very high performance Backbone Network Service), provide the basis of collaboration and development for a new breed of advanced medical applications. Academic medical centers leverage the resources available throughout the Internet2 high-performance networking community for high-capacity broadband and selectable quality of service to make effective use of national repositories. The Internet2 Health Sciences Initiative enables a new generation of emerging medical applications whose architecture and development have been restricted by or are beyond the constraints of traditional Internet environments. These initiatives facilitate a variety of activities to foster the development and deployment of emerging applications that meet the requirements of clinical practice, medical and related biological research, education, and medical awareness throughout the public sector. Medical applications that work with high performance networks and supercomputing capabilities offer exciting new solutions for the medical industry. Internet2 and NGI,strive to combine the expertise of their constituents to establish a distributed knowledge system for achieving innovation in research, teaching, learning, and clinical care.

Safe working hours--doctors in training a best practice issue.

PubMed

Lewis, Andrew

2002-01-01

In 1995, the Australian Medical Association launched its Safe Working Hours campaign. By 1998, this had been developed into a National Code of Conduct that continues to resonate in the Australian public health system. However, and particularly in respect of Doctors in Training (DITs) who continue to work long hours, there are levels of resistance to proposals that seek to re-organise work or change prevailing professional and cultural expectations. Long working hours have substantial impacts on a DIT's capacity to consistently deliver high quality patient care, dilute the effectiveness of their training regime and have negative consequences on their health, social life and family responsibilities. While public hospitals often maintain the view that minimal budget flexibility restricts their capacity to affect change in a positive way, in fact devisable productivity and efficiency gains can be achieved by reducing working hours. Further, the medical profession needs to consider whether long hours provide an optimal environment for quality learning and performance.

Contributions of team climate in the study of interprofessional collaboration: A conceptual analysis.

PubMed

Agreli, Heloise F; Peduzzi, Marina; Bailey, Christopher

2017-11-01

The concept of team climate is widely used to understand and evaluate working environments. It shares some important features with Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC). The four-factor theory of climate for work group innovation, which underpins team climate, could provide a better basis for understanding both teamwork and IPC. This article examines in detail the common ground between team climate and IPC, and assesses the relevance of team climate as a theoretical approach to understanding IPC. There are important potential areas of overlap between team climate and IPC that we have grouped under four headings: (1) interaction and communication between team members; (2) common objectives around which collective work is organised; (3) responsibility for performing work to a high standard; and (4) promoting innovation in working practices. These overlapping areas suggest common characteristics that could provide elements of a framework for considering the contribution of team climate to collaborative working, both from a conceptual perspective and, potentially, in operational terms as, for example, a diagnostic tool.

Breast health educational interventions. Changes in beliefs and practices of working women.

PubMed

Thomas, Barbara; Stamler, Lynnette Leeseberg; Lafreniere, Kathryn D; Delahunt, Tabitha D

2002-10-01

Health education programs supported by women's groups or workplaces have been successful in reaching large populations and changing intentions to perform breast health behaviors. This study examined the responses women working in the automotive industry had to two health education interventions, mailed pamphlets, and a combination of mailed material and classes at the worksite compared to a control group. A quasi-experimental design was used. Of the 948 women completing the pre-test, 437 also completed the post-test and were highly representative of the initial sample. The findings suggest that although the mailed information produced some change in practices and intentions, the classes in combination with the mailed pamphlets produced greater change. In addition, confidence in breast self examination as a method of detecting an existing breast lump increased from pre-test to post-test across all age groups. The reported influences on the women's decisions related to breast health varied across the life span. The results of this study can be used to support the development of effective health promotion programs for use at workplaces to increase the likelihood of women engaging in healthy breast practices.

An exploratory study of the effects of spatial working-memory load on prefrontal activation in low- and high-performing elderly.

PubMed

Vermeij, Anouk; van Beek, Arenda H E A; Reijs, Babette L R; Claassen, Jurgen A H R; Kessels, Roy P C

2014-01-01

Older adults show more bilateral prefrontal activation during cognitive performance than younger adults, who typically show unilateral activation. This over-recruitment has been interpreted as compensation for declining structure and function of the brain. Here we examined how the relationship between behavioral performance and prefrontal activation is modulated by different levels of working-memory load. Eighteen healthy older adults (70.8 ± 5.0 years; MMSE 29.3 ± 0.9) performed a spatial working-memory task (n-back). Oxygenated ([O2Hb]) and deoxygenated ([HHb]) hemoglobin concentration changes were registered by two functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) channels located over the left and right prefrontal cortex. Increased working-memory load resulted in worse performance compared to the control condition. [O2Hb] increased with rising working-memory load in both fNIRS channels. Based on the performance in the high working-memory load condition, the group was divided into low and high performers. A significant interaction effect of performance level and hemisphere on [O2Hb] increase was found, indicating that high performers were better able to keep the right prefrontal cortex engaged under high cognitive demand. Furthermore, in the low performers group, individuals with a larger decline in task performance from the control to the high working-memory load condition had a larger bilateral increase of [O2Hb]. The high performers did not show a correlation between performance decline and working-memory load related prefrontal activation changes. Thus, additional bilateral prefrontal activation in low performers did not necessarily result in better cognitive performance. Our study showed that bilateral prefrontal activation may not always be successfully compensatory. Individual behavioral performance should be taken into account to be able to distinguish successful and unsuccessful compensation or declined neural efficiency.

Imagination in Practice: A Study of the Integrated Roles of Interpretation, Imagery and Technique in the Learning and Memorisation Processes of Two Experienced Solo Performers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Patricia

2005-01-01

How can we use practice time in the best possible way? Do we, as performers, have a keen enough awareness of the workings of our mind and body to be sure we are learning in the optimum way for secure performance? If not, how can we readily convey to others good habits for learning and memorisation? By demonstrating aspects of how experienced solo…

Physicians' engagement in dual practices and the effects on labor supply in public hospitals: results from a register-based study.

PubMed

Johannessen, Karl-Arne; Hagen, Terje P

2014-07-10

Physician dual practice, a combination of public and private practice, has attracted attention due to fear of reduced work supply and a lack of key personnel in the public system, increase in low priority treatments, and conflicts of interest for physicians who may be competing for their own patients when working for private suppliers. In this article, we analyze both choice of dual practice among hospital physicians and the dual practices' effect on work supply in public hospitals. The sample consisted of 12,399 Norwegian hospital physicians working in public hospitals between 2001 and 2009. We linked hospital registry data on salaries and hospital working hours with data from national income and other registries covering non-hospital income, including income from dual work, cohabiting status, childbirths and socioeconomic characteristics. Our dataset also included hospital variables describing i.e. workload. We estimated odds ratio for choosing dual practice and the effects of dual practice on public working hours using different versions of mixed models. The percentage of physicians engaged in dual practice fell from 35.1% for men and 17.6% for women in 2001 to 25.0% and 14.2%, respectively, in 2009. For both genders, financial debt and interest payments were positively correlated and having a newborn baby was negatively correlated with engaging in dual practice. Larger family size and being cohabitating increased the odds ratio of dual practice among men but reduced it for women. The most significant internal hospital factor for choosing dual practice was high wages for extended working hours, which significantly reduced the odds ratio for dual practice. The total working hours in public hospitals were similar for both those who did and did not engage in dual practice; however, dual practice reduced public working hours in some specialties. Economic factors followed by family variables are significant elements influencing dual practice. Although our findings indicate that engagement in dual practice by public hospital physicians in a well-regulated market may increase the total labor supply, this may vary significantly between medical specialties.

A High-Leverage Language Teaching Practice: Leading an Open-Ended Group Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kearney, Erin

2015-01-01

In response to calls for more practice-based teacher education, this study investigated the way in which two high-performing novice world language teachers, one in Spanish and one in Latin, implemented a high-leverage teaching practice, leading an open-ended group discussion. Observational data revealed a number of constituent micro-practices. The…

Marginal Experiments: Peter Brook and Stepping out Theatre Company

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harpin, Anna

2010-01-01

This article juxtaposes the recent work of Peter Brook with a Bristol-based mental health service-user collective--Stepping Out Theatre Company. Informed by field-work with the company, this chapter explores the aesthetic and political relationship between professional, experimental theatre work and community-based performance practice. Drawing…

Edward W. Jennings | NREL

Science.gov Websites

practices promoting a safe and supportive working environment. His research interests include environmental, safety, and health (ESH) and facility issues, he is responsible for implementing safe work plan; working directly with awardees by performing on-site validations to collect and analyze enzyme

Work, Productivity, and Human Performance: Practical Case Studies in Ergonomics, Human Factors and Human Engineering.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, T. M.; Pityn, P. J.

This book contains 12 case histories, each based on a real-life problem, that show how a manager can use common sense, knowledge, and interpersonal skills to solve problems in human performance at work. Each case study describes a worker's problem and provides background information and an assignment; solutions are suggested. The following cases…

The feasibility of introducing advanced minimally invasive surgery into surgical practice

PubMed Central

Birch, Daniel W.; Misra, Monali; Farrokhyar, Forough

2007-01-01

Background This study investigates the feasibility of performing advanced minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in a nonspecialized practice environment. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of all community general surgeons currently practising in Ontario. Results Few community surgeons perform a high volume (> 10 procedures per yr) of advanced MIS. Most (70%) believe it is important to acquire additional skills in advanced MIS. The most appropriate methods for learning advanced MIS are believed to be expert mentoring (79.7%), courses (77.2%) and a colleague mentor (63.9%). A total of 57.6% of respondents have attended a course in MIS while in practice, and most have access to a reasonable variety of instrumentation. Respondents believe that 57.6% of assistants, 54.8% of nurses and 43.4% of anaesthetists are relatively inexperienced with advanced MIS. Barriers to establishing advanced MIS include limited operating room access (50%), resources or equipment (45.2%) and limited expert mentoring (43.6%). Surgeons with less than 10 years of practice found lack of trained nursing staff (7.9% v. 4.2%, p = 0.01) and experienced assistants (12% v. 6.2%, p = 0.008) to be more important barriers than did those with over 10 years of practice, respectively. Conclusion Most general surgeons working in Ontario are self-taught with respect to MIS skills, and few perform a high volume of advanced MIS. Only one-half of all respondents have access to skilled MIS operating room nurses, surgical assistants or anesthesiology. Despite this, general surgeons perceive the greatest barriers to introducing advanced MIS procedures to be limited access to operating rooms, resources or equipment and limited mentoring. This study has shown that the role of the surgical team in advanced MIS may be underestimated by many general surgeons. These data have important implications in training general surgeons and in incorporating additional advanced MIS procedures into the armamentarium of general surgeons. PMID:17897513

The role of high-involvement work practices and professional self-image in nursing recruits' turnover: A three-year prospective study.

PubMed

Chênevert, Denis; Jourdain, Geneviève; Vandenberghe, Christian

2016-01-01

The retention of young graduate nurses has become a major management challenge among hospitals in Western countries, which is amplified in a context of aging of populations and an increasing demand for services from patients. Moreover, as it has been reported that 50% of experienced nurses do not recommend a career in nursing, it is likely that retention problems occur not only at the level of the organization, but also at the level of the nursing profession. Although research has identified some predictors of nurse turnover, it is unclear which factors influence nurses' turnover from the organization and from the profession and how these factors interrelate with one another over time. The present study extends previous research on nurse turnover by looking at the combined effects of nurses' pre-entry expectations, perceived high-involvement work practices, and professional self-image, on intended and actual turnover from the organization and the profession. A prospective, longitudinal study of a sample of 160 graduated nurses affiliated with the Quebec Nurses' Association, Canada, was conducted. Participants were surveyed at three points in time, spread over a 3-year period. Graduated nurses' pre-entry expectations and professional self-image were surveyed at graduation (Time 1), while perceived high-involvement work practices, professional self-image, and intention to leave the organization and the profession were captured six months following nurses' entry into the labor market (Time 2). Finally, participants were surveyed with respect to organizational and professional turnover three years after the Time 2 survey (Time 3). Structural equations modeling was used to examine the structure of the measures and the relationships among the constructs. Although pre-entry expectations had no effect, perceived high-involvement work practices were positively related to Time 2, professional self-image (controlling for pre-entry professional self-image). Moreover, high-involvement work practices exerted an indirect, negative effect on organizational and professional turnover through intention to leave the organization, and an indirect negative effect on intention to leave the profession through professional self-image. Nonetheless, professional self-image did not affect turnover. The current study indicates that hospitals and nurse directors can take advantage of developing high-involvement work practices as these practices foster a stronger professional self-image among nurses, thereby contributing to their sense of value as care providers, and indirectly reduce intended and actual turnover from the organization and the profession. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What's gender got to do with it? Examining masculinities, health and safety and return to work in male dominated skilled trades.

PubMed

Stergiou-Kita, Mary; Mansfield, Elizabeth; Colantonio, Angela; Moody, Joel; Mantis, Steve

2016-06-16

Electrical injuries are a common cause of work-related injury in male dominated skilled trades. In this study we explored how issues of gender, masculinities and institutional workplace practices shape expectations of men and their choices when returning to work following a workplace electrical injury. Twelve workers, who suffered an electrical injury, and twelve employer representatives, completed semi-structured interviews. Using thematic analysis we identified key themes related to how masculinities influenced men's health and safety during the return to work process. Strong identification with worker roles can influence injured workers decisions to return to work 'too early'. A desire to be viewed as a strong, responsible, resilient worker may intersect with concerns about job loss, to influence participants' decisions to not report safety issues and workplace accidents, to not disclose post-injury work challenges, and to not request workplace supports. Institutionalized workplace beliefs regarding risk, de-legitimization of the severity of injuries, and the valorization of the "tough" worker can further re-enforce dominant masculine norms and influence return to work processes and health and safety practices. Workplaces are key sites where gender identities are constructed, affirmed and institutionalized. Further research is warranted to examine how established masculine norms and gendered workplace expectations can influence workplace health and safety in male dominated high risk occupations. Future research should also evaluate strategies that encourage men to discuss post-injury work challenges and request supports when work performance or health and safety issues arise during the return to work process.

Research and Theory as Necessary Tools for Organizational Training and Performance Improvement Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abaci, Serdar; Pershing, James A.

2017-01-01

Human Performance Technology (HPT) is the applied study and practice of improving organizational performance through training and non-training interventions. For practitioners working in this area that identify themselves as an HPT practitioner, organizational training and performance (OTP) specialist, or instructional designer--offering the right…

Performance Analysis of Saturated Induction Motors by Virtual Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ojaghi, M.; Faiz, J.; Kazemi, M.; Rezaei, M.

2012-01-01

Many undergraduate-level electrical machines textbooks give detailed treatments of the performance of induction motors. Students can deepen this understanding of motor performance by performing the appropriate practical work in laboratories or in simulation using proper software packages. This paper considers various common and less-common tests…

Perceptions of good medical practice in the NHS: a survey of senior health professionals.

PubMed

Hutchinson, A; Williams, M; Meadows, K; Barbour, R S; Jones, R

1999-12-01

To categorize senior health professionals' experience with poor medical practice in hospitals and in general practice, to describe perceptions which senior NHS staff have of good medical practice, and to describe how problems of poor medical practice are currently managed. A postal questionnaire survey. The questionnaire sought perceptions of good medical practice, asked participants to characterise deviations from good practice, and to describe experience with managing poor performance at the time of the introduction of the General Medical Council (GMC) performance procedures. A range of NHS settings in the UK: hospital trusts, health authorities/boards, local medical committees, community health councils. Senior health professionals involved in the management of medical professional performance. Perceptions of what constitutes good medical practice. Most respondents considered that persistent problems related to clinical practice (diagnosis, management, and outcome and prescribing) would require local management and, possibly, referral to the GMC performance procedures. Informal mechanisms, including informal discussion, education, training, and work shifting, were the most usual means of handling a doctor whose performance was poor. Many took a less serious view of deficiencies in performance on manner and attitude and communication, although consultation skills rather than technical skills comprised the greatest number of complaints about doctors. Senior NHS professionals seem reluctant to consider persistently poor consultation skills in the same critical light as they do persistently poor technical practice. These attitudes may need to change with the implementation of clinical governance and updated guidance from the GMC on what constitutes good medical practice.

Fatigue Risk Management: The Impact of Anesthesiology Residents' Work Schedules on Job Performance and a Review of Potential Countermeasures.

PubMed

Wong, Lily R; Flynn-Evans, Erin; Ruskin, Keith J

2018-04-01

Long duty periods and overnight call shifts impair physicians' performance on measures of vigilance, psychomotor functioning, alertness, and mood. Anesthesiology residents typically work between 64 and 70 hours per week and are often required to work 24 hours or overnight shifts, sometimes taking call every third night. Mitigating the effects of sleep loss, circadian misalignment, and sleep inertia requires an understanding of the relationship among work schedules, fatigue, and job performance. This article reviews the current Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education guidelines for resident duty hours, examines how anesthesiologists' work schedules can affect job performance, and discusses the ramifications of overnight and prolonged duty hours on patient safety and resident well-being. We then propose countermeasures that have been implemented to mitigate the effects of fatigue and describe how training programs or practice groups who must work overnight can adapt these strategies for use in a hospital setting. Countermeasures include the use of scheduling interventions, strategic naps, microbreaks, caffeine use during overnight and extended shifts, and the use of bright lights in the clinical setting when possible or personal blue light devices when the room lights must be turned off. Although this review focuses primarily on anesthesiology residents in training, many of the mitigation strategies described here can be used effectively by physicians in practice.

Methodology of selecting dozers for lignite open pit mines in Serbia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stojanovic, D.; Ignjatovic, D.; Kovacevic, S.

1996-12-31

Apart from the main production processes (coal and overburden mining, rail conveyors transportation and storage of excavated masses) performed by great-capacity mechanization at open pit mines, numerous and different auxiliary works, that often have crucial influence on both the work efficiency of main equipment and the maintenance of optimum technical conditions of machines and plants covering technological system of open pit, are present. Successful realization of work indispensably requires a proper and adequate selection of auxiliary machines according to their type quantity, capacity, power etc. thus highly respecting specific conditions existing at each and every open pit mine. A dozermore » is certainly the most important and representative auxiliary machine at single open pit mine. It is widely used in numerous works that, in fact, are preconditions for successful work of the main mechanization and consequently the very selection of a dozer ranges among the most important operations when selecting mechanization. This paper presents the methodology of dozers selection when lignite open pit mines are concerned. A mathematical model defining the volume of work required for dozers to perform at open pit mines and consequently the number of necessary dozers was designed. The model underwent testing in practice at big open pit mines and can be used in design of future open pits mines.« less

Physicians’ engagement in dual practices and the effects on labor supply in public hospitals: results from a register-based study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Physician dual practice, a combination of public and private practice, has attracted attention due to fear of reduced work supply and a lack of key personnel in the public system, increase in low priority treatments, and conflicts of interest for physicians who may be competing for their own patients when working for private suppliers. In this article, we analyze both choice of dual practice among hospital physicians and the dual practices’ effect on work supply in public hospitals. Methods The sample consisted of 12,399 Norwegian hospital physicians working in public hospitals between 2001 and 2009. We linked hospital registry data on salaries and hospital working hours with data from national income and other registries covering non-hospital income, including income from dual work, cohabiting status, childbirths and socioeconomic characteristics. Our dataset also included hospital variables describing i.e. workload. We estimated odds ratio for choosing dual practice and the effects of dual practice on public working hours using different versions of mixed models. Results The percentage of physicians engaged in dual practice fell from 35.1% for men and 17.6% for women in 2001 to 25.0% and 14.2%, respectively, in 2009. For both genders, financial debt and interest payments were positively correlated and having a newborn baby was negatively correlated with engaging in dual practice. Larger family size and being cohabitating increased the odds ratio of dual practice among men but reduced it for women. The most significant internal hospital factor for choosing dual practice was high wages for extended working hours, which significantly reduced the odds ratio for dual practice. The total working hours in public hospitals were similar for both those who did and did not engage in dual practice; however, dual practice reduced public working hours in some specialties. Conclusion Economic factors followed by family variables are significant elements influencing dual practice. Although our findings indicate that engagement in dual practice by public hospital physicians in a well-regulated market may increase the total labor supply, this may vary significantly between medical specialties. PMID:25011448

48 CFR 752.231-71 - Salary supplements for HG employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... allowances for which the HG employee would qualify under HG rules or practice for the performance of his/hers..., honoraria and payment for work carried out outside of normal working hours are not considered to be salary...

Work zone traffic management synthesis : work zone pedestrian protection

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-08-01

This Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) data analysis was intended to examine, in a practical way, the LTPP database and to identify the site conditions and design features that significantly affect transverse joint faulting. Key products develope...

Brain tumor image segmentation using kernel dictionary learning.

PubMed

Jeon Lee; Seung-Jun Kim; Rong Chen; Herskovits, Edward H

2015-08-01

Automated brain tumor image segmentation with high accuracy and reproducibility holds a big potential to enhance the current clinical practice. Dictionary learning (DL) techniques have been applied successfully to various image processing tasks recently. In this work, kernel extensions of the DL approach are adopted. Both reconstructive and discriminative versions of the kernel DL technique are considered, which can efficiently incorporate multi-modal nonlinear feature mappings based on the kernel trick. Our novel discriminative kernel DL formulation allows joint learning of a task-driven kernel-based dictionary and a linear classifier using a K-SVD-type algorithm. The proposed approaches were tested using real brain magnetic resonance (MR) images of patients with high-grade glioma. The obtained preliminary performances are competitive with the state of the art. The discriminative kernel DL approach is seen to reduce computational burden without much sacrifice in performance.

Enhancing the Student Experiment Experience: Visible Scientific Inquiry through a Virtual Chemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donnelly, Dermot; O'Reilly, John; McGarr, Oliver

2013-01-01

Practical work is often noted as a core reason many students take on science in secondary schools (high schools). However, there are inherent difficulties associated with classroom practical work that militate against scientific inquiry, an approach espoused by many science educators. The use of interactive simulations to facilitate student…

Partnerships at Work: Lessons Learned from Programs and Practices of Families, Professionals and Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, Kathleen Kirk, Ed.; Taylor, Mary Skidmore, Ed.; Arango, Polly, Ed.

Designed to celebrate family/interprofessional collaborative partnerships, this publication describes high-quality examples of how families and professionals at the family, community, state, and national levels have worked together to create programs and practices that are family-friendly and responsive to what families have said they want and…

Opening the Box: Information Technology, Work Practices, and Wages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, Larry W.; Lakfas, John J.

2003-01-01

Analysis of 1994-95 data on customer service representatives in 303 banks revealed a positive relationship between high-involvement work practices (quality circles) and extensive use of information technology (IT) to support sales. Use of IT to automate routine processes and no quality circles were associated with lower wages. (Contains 55…

Post-exercise ingestion of a unique, high molecular weight glucose polymer solution improves performance during a subsequent bout of cycling exercise.

PubMed

Stephens, Francis B; Roig, Marc; Armstrong, Gerald; Greenhaff, Paul L

2008-01-15

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of post-exercise ingestion of a unique, high molecular weight glucose polymer solution, known to augment gastric emptying and post-exercise muscle glycogen re-synthesis, on performance during a subsequent bout of intense exercise. On three randomized visits, eight healthy men cycled to exhaustion at 73.0% (s = 1.3) maximal oxygen uptake (90 min, s = 15). Immediately after this, participants consumed a one-litre solution containing sugar-free flavoured water (control), 100 g of a low molecular weight glucose polymer or 100 g of a very high molecular weight glucose polymer, and rested on a bed for 2 h. After recovery, a 15-min time-trial was performed on a cycle ergometer, during which work output was determined. Post-exercise ingestion of the very high molecular weight glucose polymer solution resulted in faster and greater increases in blood glucose (P < 0.001) and serum insulin (P < 0.01) concentrations than the low molecular weight glucose polymer solution, and greater work output during the 15-min time-trial (164.1 kJ, s = 21.1) than both the sugar-free flavoured water (137.5 kJ, s = 24.2; P < 0.05) and the low molecular weight glucose polymer (149.4 kJ, s = 21.8; P < 0.05) solutions. These findings could be of practical importance for athletes wishing to optimize performance by facilitating rapid re-synthesis of the muscle glycogen store during recovery following prolonged sub-maximal exercise.

77 FR 36277 - Academic Development of a Training Program for Good Laboratory Practices in High Containment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-18

... requirements in high and maximum biocontainment, scientists working in this environment and FDA staff who will...] Academic Development of a Training Program for Good Laboratory Practices in High Containment Environments... Containment Environments (U24).'' In this FOA, FDA announces its intention to accept and consider a single...

Experiences of burnout and coping strategies utilized by occupational therapists.

PubMed

Gupta, Sangeeta; Paterson, Margo L; Lysaght, Rosemary M; von Zweck, Claudia M

2012-04-01

Work-related stress and burnout have been found to lead to job dissatisfaction, low-organizational commitment, absenteeism, and high turnover. The purpose of this study was to examine the burnout experiences of occupational therapists practicing in Ontario and to describe the practice implications and coping strategies employed. Data for this mixed methods study were collected using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, Areas of Worklife Survey, focus groups, and interviews in the hermeneutics tradition. High levels of emotional exhaustion were reported by 34.8% of participants, high levels of cynicism by 43.5%, and low professional efficacy by 24.6%. Practice issues included excessive demands on time, conflict, and lack of autonomy and respect. Coping strategies included spending time with family and maintaining professional/personal balance, control of work responsibilities, maintaining a sense of humor, and self-awareness/self-monitoring. This study contributes to understanding the practice challenges for occupational therapists, factors that contribute to therapist burnout, and strategies employed to maintain competent practice.

Experience, gender, and performance: Connecting high school physics experience and gender differences to introductory college physics performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tai, Robert H.

Current science educational practice is coming under heavy criticism based on the dismaying results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study of 1998, the latest in a series of large scale surveys; and from research showing the appallingly low representation of females in science-related fields. These critical evaluations serve to draw attention to science literacy in general and lack of persistence among females in particular, two issues that relate closely to the "preparation for future study" goal held by many high school science teachers. In other words, these teachers often seek to promote future success and to prevent future failure in their students' academic careers. This thesis studies the connection between the teaching practices recommended by reformers and researchers for high school teachers, and their students' subsequent college physics performance. The teaching practices studied were: laboratory experiences, class discussion experiences, content coverage, and reliance on textbooks. This study analyzed a survey of 1500 students from 16 different lecture-format college physics courses at 14 different universities. Using hierarchical linear modeling, this study accounted for course-level variables (Calculus-based/Non-calculus course type, professor's gender, and university selectivity). This study controlled for the student's parents education, high school science/mathematics achievement, high school calculus background, and racial background. In addition, the interactions between gender and both pedagogical/curricular and course-level variables were analyzed. The results indicated that teaching fewer topics in greater depth in high school physics appeared to be helpful to college physics students. An interaction between college course type and content coverage showed that students in Calculus-based physics reaped even greater benefits from a depth-oriented curriculum. Also students with fewer labs per month in high school physics appeared to perform better in college physics than did students with many more labs per month. The only significant interaction was between gender and Calculus-based/Non-calculus college course type. Females appeared to do better on average than their males counterparts in Non-calculus physics, but this trend is clearly reversed for Calculus-based physics. This is a disturbing result for educators who have worked to promote persistence among women in engineering and science research. Recommendations are included for high school physics teachers, students and their parents, and college physics instructors.

Why measure patient satisfaction?

PubMed

Riskind, Patty; Fossey, Leslie; Brill, Kari

2011-01-01

A practice that consistently and continuously measures patient perceptions will be more efficient and effective in its daily operations. With pay-for-performance requirements on the horizon and consumer rating sites already publicizing impressions from physician encounters, a practice needs to know how it is performing through the eyes of the patients. Azalea Orthopedics has used patient feedback to coach its physicians on better patient communication. The Orthopaedic Institute has used patient satisfaction results to reduce wait times and measure the return on investment from its marketing efforts. Patient survey results that are put to work can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of practice operations as well as position the practice for increased profitability.

Developmental Activities that Lead to Dropout and Investment in Sport

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wall, Michael; Cote, Jean

2007-01-01

Background: Studies suggest that expert performance in sport is the result of long-term engagement in a highly specialized form of training termed deliberate practice. The relationship between accumulated deliberate practice and performance predicts that those who begin deliberate practice at a young age accumulate more practice hours over time…

Using activity-based costing to track resource use in group practices.

PubMed

Zeller, T L; Siegel, G; Kaciuba, G; Lau, A H

1999-09-01

Research shows that understanding how resources are consumed can help group practices control costs. An American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons study used an activity-based costing (ABC) system to measure how resources are consumed in providing medical services. Teams of accounting professors observed 18 diverse orthopedic surgery practices. The researchers identified 17 resource-consuming business processes performed by nonphysician office staff. They measured resource consumption by assigning costs to each process according to how much time is spent on related work activities. When group practices understand how their resources are being consumed, they can reduce costs and optimize revenues by making adjustments in how administrative and clinical staff work.

Loose and Tight GNSS/INS Integrations: Comparison of Performance Assessed in Real Urban Scenarios.

PubMed

Falco, Gianluca; Pini, Marco; Marucco, Gianluca

2017-01-29

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) remain the principal mean of positioning in many applications and systems, but in several types of environment, the performance of standalone receivers is degraded. Although many works show the benefits of the integration between GNSS and Inertial Navigation Systems (INSs), tightly-coupled architectures are mainly implemented in professional devices and are based on high-grade Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). This paper investigates the performance improvements enabled by the tight integration, using low-cost sensors and a mass-market GNSS receiver. Performance is assessed through a series of tests carried out in real urban scenarios and is compared against commercial modules, operating in standalone mode or featuring loosely-coupled integrations. The paper describes the developed tight-integration algorithms with a terse mathematical model and assesses their efficacy from a practical perspective.

20 CFR 655.510 - Employer attestations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... practice after Secretary of State determination of non-reciprocity. Section 258(d) of the Act provides a reciprocity exception (separate from the prevailing practice exception) to the prohibition on performance of longshore work by alien crewmembers in U.S. ports. However, this reciprocity exception becomes nonapplicable...

20 CFR 655.510 - Employer attestations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... practice after Secretary of State determination of non-reciprocity. Section 258(d) of the Act provides a reciprocity exception (separate from the prevailing practice exception) to the prohibition on performance of longshore work by alien crewmembers in U.S. ports. However, this reciprocity exception becomes nonapplicable...

20 CFR 655.510 - Employer attestations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... practice after Secretary of State determination of non-reciprocity. Section 258(d) of the Act provides a reciprocity exception (separate from the prevailing practice exception) to the prohibition on performance of longshore work by alien crewmembers in U.S. ports. However, this reciprocity exception becomes nonapplicable...

20 CFR 655.510 - Employer attestations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... practice after Secretary of State determination of non-reciprocity. Section 258(d) of the Act provides a reciprocity exception (separate from the prevailing practice exception) to the prohibition on performance of longshore work by alien crewmembers in U.S. ports. However, this reciprocity exception becomes nonapplicable...

76 FR 718 - General Administrative Regulations; Good-Performance Refunds

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-06

... demonstrate good farming practices, providing, in effect, a premium discount to individual producers... Refund program will specifically encourage sound management practices as well as encouraging insured... regardless of the size of their farming operation. The amount of work required of the insurance companies...

40 CFR 745.239 - Effective dates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Lead-Based Paint Activities... or firm shall perform, offer, or claim to perform lead-based paint activities, as defined in this... 1, 2000. (c) All lead-based paint activities shall be performed pursuant to the work practice...

40 CFR 745.239 - Effective dates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Lead-Based Paint Activities... or firm shall perform, offer, or claim to perform lead-based paint activities, as defined in this... 1, 2000. (c) All lead-based paint activities shall be performed pursuant to the work practice...

40 CFR 745.239 - Effective dates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Lead-Based Paint Activities... or firm shall perform, offer, or claim to perform lead-based paint activities, as defined in this... 1, 2000. (c) All lead-based paint activities shall be performed pursuant to the work practice...

40 CFR 745.239 - Effective dates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Lead-Based Paint Activities... or firm shall perform, offer, or claim to perform lead-based paint activities, as defined in this... 1, 2000. (c) All lead-based paint activities shall be performed pursuant to the work practice...

40 CFR 745.239 - Effective dates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Lead-Based Paint Activities... or firm shall perform, offer, or claim to perform lead-based paint activities, as defined in this... 1, 2000. (c) All lead-based paint activities shall be performed pursuant to the work practice...

Flower-like NiO structures: Controlled hydrothermal synthesis and electrochemical characteristic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chai, Hui; Chen, Xuan; Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials, Institute of Applied Chemistry, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, Xinjiang

Graphical abstract: Flower-like porous NiO was obtained via thermal decomposition of the precursor prepared by a hydrothermal process using hexamethylenetetramine and polyethylene glycol as hydrolysis-controlling agent and surfactant, respectively. The morphology and microstructure of as-synthesized NiO were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results of electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the flower-like porous NiO has high capacity (340 F g{sup −1}) with excellent cycling performance as electrode materials of electrochemical capacitors (ECs), which may be attributed to the unique microstrcture of NiO. Data analyses indicated that NiO with novel porousmore » structure attractive for practical and large-scale applications in electrochemical capacitors. Display Omitted Highlights: ► Synthesis and characterization of NiO with novel porous structure is presented in this work. ► The electrochemical performance of product was examined. ► NiO with excellent performance as electrode materials may be due to the unique microstrcture. ► NiO with novel porous structure attractive for practical with high capacity (340 F g{sup −1}). -- Abstract: Flower-like porous NiO was obtained by thermal decomposition of the precursor prepared by a hydrothermal process with hexamethylenetetramine and polyethylene glycol as hydrolysis-controlling agent and surfactant, respectively. The morphology and microstructure of as-synthesized NiO were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The resulting structures of NiO exhibited porous like petal building blocks. The electrochemical measurements’ results demonstrated that flower-like porous NiO has high capacity (340 F g{sup −1}) with excellent cycling performance as electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors, which may be attributed to the unique structure of NiO. The results indicated that NiO with novel porous structure has been attractive for practical and large-scale applications in electrochemical capacitors.« less

Foundation degree students as work-based learners: the mentor's role.

PubMed

Wareing, Mark

Healthcare assistants and support workers are beginning to access higher education programmes to expand their roles and practice. One example has been the development of the foundation degree (FD) - a 2-year diploma level course delivered via work-based learning. These undergraduate workplace learners require the support of mentors and assessors. It is proposed that traditional notions of mentorship are insufficiently attuned to the needs of work-based learners who need to prepare more for performance, rather than for practice. This argument rests on the observation that FD students are already immersed in practice and possess a wealth of experience to link to the underpinning knowledge gained from higher education. Evidence from a small piece of interpretive research is used to inform this discussion and highlight the unique needs of work-based learners within the clinical setting.

Time-efficient simulations of tight-binding electronic structures with Intel Xeon PhiTM many-core processors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, Hoon; Jeong, Yosang; Kang, Ji-Hoon; Cho, Kyu Nam

2016-12-01

Modelling of multi-million atomic semiconductor structures is important as it not only predicts properties of physically realizable novel materials, but can accelerate advanced device designs. This work elaborates a new Technology-Computer-Aided-Design (TCAD) tool for nanoelectronics modelling, which uses a sp3d5s∗ tight-binding approach to describe multi-million atomic structures, and simulate electronic structures with high performance computing (HPC), including atomic effects such as alloy and dopant disorders. Being named as Quantum simulation tool for Advanced Nanoscale Devices (Q-AND), the tool shows nice scalability on traditional multi-core HPC clusters implying the strong capability of large-scale electronic structure simulations, particularly with remarkable performance enhancement on latest clusters of Intel Xeon PhiTM coprocessors. A review of the recent modelling study conducted to understand an experimental work of highly phosphorus-doped silicon nanowires, is presented to demonstrate the utility of Q-AND. Having been developed via Intel Parallel Computing Center project, Q-AND will be open to public to establish a sound framework of nanoelectronics modelling with advanced HPC clusters of a many-core base. With details of the development methodology and exemplary study of dopant electronics, this work will present a practical guideline for TCAD development to researchers in the field of computational nanoelectronics.

Rapid determination of parabens in seafood sauces by high-performance liquid chromatography: A practical comparison of core-shell particles and sub-2 μm fully porous particles.

PubMed

Ye, Jing; Cao, Xiaoji; Cheng, Zhuo; Qin, Ye; Lu, Yanbin

2015-12-01

In this work, the chromatographic performance of superficially porous particles (Halo core-shell C18 column, 50 mm × 2.1 mm, 2.7 μm) was compared with that of sub-2 μm fully porous particles (Acquity BEH C18 , 50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm). Four parabens, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben, were used as representative compounds for calculating the plate heights in a wide flow rate range and analyzed on the basis of the Van Deemter and Knox equations. Theoretical Poppe plots were constructed for each column to compare their kinetic performance. Both phases gave similar minimum plate heights when using nonreduced coordinates. Meanwhile, the flat C-term of the core-shell column provided the possibilities for applying high flow rates without significant loss in efficiency. The low backpressure of core-shell particles allowed this kind of column, especially compatible with conventional high-performance liquid chromatography systems. Based on these factors, a simple high-performance liquid chromatography method was established and validated for the determination of parabens in various seafood sauces using the Halo core-shell C18 column for separation. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Hierarchical cobalt poly-phosphide hollow spheres as highly active and stable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution over a wide pH range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Tianli; Pi, Mingyu; Wang, Xiaodeng; Guo, Weimeng; Zhang, Dingke; Chen, Shijian

2018-01-01

Exploring highly-efficient and low-cost non-noble metal electrocatalyst toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is highly desired for renewable energy system but remains challenging. In this work, three dimensional hierarchical porous cobalt poly-phosphide hollow spheres (CoP3 HSs) were prepared by topotactic phosphidation of the cobalt-based precursor via vacuum encapsulation technique. As a porous HER cathode, the CoP3 HSs delivers remarkable electrocatalytic performance over the wide pH range. It needs overpotentials of -69 mV and -118 mV with a small Tafel slope of 51 mV dec-1 to obtain current densities of 10 mA cm-2 and 50 mA cm-2, respectively, and maintains its electrocatalytic performance over 30 h in acidic solution. In addition, CoP3 also exhibit superior electrocatalytic performance and stability under neutral and alkaline conditions for the HER. Both experimental measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations are performed to explore the mechanism behind the excellent HER performance. The results of our study make the porous CoP3 HSs as a promising electrocatalyst for practical applications toward energy conversion system and present a new way for designing and fabricating HER electrodes through high degree of phosphorization and nano-porous architecture.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a logger safety training program.

PubMed

Bell, Jennifer L; Grushecky, Shawn T

2006-01-01

Logger safety training programs are rarely, if ever, evaluated as to their effectiveness in reducing injuries. Workers' compensation claim rates were used to evaluate the effectiveness of a logger safety training program, the West Virginia Loggers' Safety Initiative (LSI). There was no claim rate decline detected in the majority (67%) of companies that participated in all 4 years of the LSI. Furthermore, their rate did not differ from the rest of the WV logging industry that did not participate in the LSI. Worker turnover was significantly related to claim rates; companies with higher turnover of employees had higher claim rates. Companies using feller bunchers to harvest trees at least part of the time had a significantly lower claim rate than companies not using them. Companies that had more inspections per year had lower claim rates. High injury rates persist even in companies that receive safety training; high employee turnover may affect the efficacy of training programs. The logging industry should be encouraged to facilitate the mechanization of logging tasks, to address barriers to employee retention, and to increase the number of in-the-field performance monitoring inspections. Impact on industry There are many states whose logger safety programs include only about 4-8 hours of safe work practices training. These states may look to West Virginia's expanded training program (the LSI) as a model for their own programs. However, the LSI training may not be reaching loggers due to the delay in administering training to new employees and high levels of employee turnover. Regardless of training status, loggers' claim rates decline significantly the longer they work for a company. It may be that high injury rates in the state of West Virginia would be best addressed by finding ways to encourage and facilitate companies to become more mechanized in their harvesting practices, and to increase employee tenure. Increasing the number of yearly performance inspections may also be a venue to reduce claim rates. Future research could investigate in better detail the working conditions of West Virginia loggers and identify barriers to job tenure, particularly for workers whose primary job task is chainsaw operation. A larger-scale study of the effect of performance monitoring inspections on claim rates is also warranted.

Investigating the Effects of Group Practice Performed Using Psychodrama Techniques on Adolescents' Conflict Resolution Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karatas, Zeynep

2011-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of group practice which is performed using psychodrama techniques on adolescents' conflict resolution skills. The subjects, for this study, were selected among the high school students who have high aggression levels and low problem solving levels attending Haci Zekiye Arslan High School, in Nigde.…

One-visit endodontics.

PubMed

Ashkenaz, P J

1984-10-01

I would like to conclude with some personal observations and comments on the use of single-visit endodontics in private practice based on my 12 years of experience utilizing this procedure. I cannot stress in strong enough terms that one-visit endodontics should not be undertaken by the novice. As an evolutionary philosophy of treatment, its use grows out of a full understanding of fundamental endodontic principles by the experienced practitioner. It is only after considering all of the indications and contraindications in each case on an individual basis, that a decision should be made as to whether or not it can be completed in a single visit. However, it is also important for the practitioner to have a clinical sense of what can be accomplished once the rubber dam has been placed and work commenced on the tooth. I submit to you that this very important clinical sense can be gained only after many years of clinical experience. Therefore, the endodontic competence of the practicing dentist becomes the overriding factor in determining the outcome of any one particular case. This is not to say that only a specialized few can and should perform this procedure. However, it does mean that a high degree of clinical skill is necessary to perform it in a successful manner. The performance of better endodontics in multiple visits will ensure success in single visits. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the individual practitioner to objectively evaluate his or her endodontic skills. The clinician should critically evaluate every aspect of his or her endodontic practice by determining the incidences of biomechanical errors such as ledging, perforations, overinstrumentation, broken instruments, interappointment flare-ups, and failures. For only after evaluating these areas will the clinician have an indication as to his or her level of endodontic skill and whether or not future study and practice need be done in one or more specific aspects of endodontic practice. Once a high level of competence is attained, one-visit endodontics can be successfully performed if well-skilled clinicians choose their cases carefully and adhere to basic endodontic principles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

When customers exhibit verbal aggression, employees pay cognitive costs.

PubMed

Rafaeli, Anat; Erez, Amir; Ravid, Shy; Derfler-Rozin, Rellie; Treister, Dorit Efrat; Scheyer, Ravit

2012-09-01

In 4 experimental studies, we show that customer verbal aggression impaired the cognitive performance of the targets of this aggression. In Study 1, customers' verbal aggression reduced recall of customers' requests. Study 2 extended these findings by showing that customer verbal aggression impaired recognition memory and working memory among employees of a cellular communication provider. In Study 3, the ability to take another's perspective attenuated the negative effects of customer verbal aggression on participants' cognitive performance. Study 4 linked customer verbal aggression to quality of task performance, showing a particularly negative influence of aggressive requests delivered by high-status customers. Together, these studies suggest that the effects of even minor aggression from customers can strongly affect the immediate cognitive performance of customer service employees and reduce their task performance. The implications for research on aggression and for the practice of customer service are discussed.

High-Pressure Band-Gap Engineering in Lead-Free Cs 2 AgBiBr 6 Double Perovskite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Qian; Wang, Yonggang; Pan, Weicheng

Novel inorganic lead-free double perovskites with improved stability are regarded as alternatives to state-of-art hybrid lead halide perovskites in photovoltaic devices. The recently discovered Cs2AgBiBr6 double perovskite exhibits attractive optical and electronic features, making it promising for various optoelectronic applications. However, its practical performance is hampered by the large band gap. In this work, remarkable band gap narrowing of Cs2AgBiBr6 is, for the first time, achieved on inorganic photovoltaic double perovskites through high pressure treatments. Moreover, the narrowed band gap is partially retainable after releasing pressure, promoting its optoelectronic applications. This work not only provides novel insights into the structure–propertymore » relationship in lead-free double perovskites, but also offers new strategies for further development of advanced perovskite devices.« less

Enhancing Self-Regulated Practice Behavior in High School Instrumentalists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mieder, Kim; Bugos, Jennifer A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effects of a self-regulated learning practice strategy curriculum (SRL-PSC) on 30 high school instrumentalists' performance achievement, self-efficacy, practice behaviors, and self-perceptions of practice behaviors. The curriculum included peer collaboration, verbal mediation, group discussion, and…

Solo and Small Practices: A Vital, Diverse Part of Primary Care.

PubMed

Liaw, Winston R; Jetty, Anuradha; Petterson, Stephen M; Peterson, Lars E; Bazemore, Andrew W

2016-01-01

Solo and small practices are facing growing pressure to consolidate. Our objectives were to determine (1) the percentage of family physicians in solo and small practices, and (2) the characteristics of and services provided by these practices. A total of 10,888 family physicians seeking certification through the American Board of Family Medicine in 2013 completed a demographic survey. Their practices were split into categories by size: solo, small (2 to 5 providers), medium (6 to 20 providers), and large (more than 20 providers). We also determined the rurality of the county where the physicians practiced. We developed 2 logistic regression models: one assessed predictors of practicing in a solo or small practice, while the other was restricted to solo and small practices and assessed predictors of practicing in a solo practice. More than one-half of respondents worked in solo or small practices. Small practices were the largest group (36%) and were the most likely to be located in a rural setting (20%). The likelihood of having a care coordinator and medical home certification increased with practice size. Physicians were more likely to be practicing in small or solo practices (vs medium-sized or large ones) if they were African American or Hispanic, had been working for more than 30 years, and worked in rural areas. Physicians were more likely to be practicing in small practices (vs solo ones) if they worked in highly rural areas. Family physicians in solo and small practices comprised the majority among all family physicians seeking board certification and were more likely to work in rural geographies. Extension programs and community health teams have the potential to support transformation within these practices. © 2016 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

Solo and Small Practices: A Vital, Diverse Part of Primary Care

PubMed Central

Liaw, Winston R.; Jetty, Anuradha; Petterson, Stephen M.; Peterson, Lars E.; Bazemore, Andrew W.

2016-01-01

PURPOSE Solo and small practices are facing growing pressure to consolidate. Our objectives were to determine (1) the percentage of family physicians in solo and small practices, and (2) the characteristics of and services provided by these practices. METHODS A total of 10,888 family physicians seeking certification through the American Board of Family Medicine in 2013 completed a demographic survey. Their practices were split into categories by size: solo, small (2 to 5 providers), medium (6 to 20 providers), and large (more than 20 providers). We also determined the rurality of the county where the physicians practiced. We developed 2 logistic regression models: one assessed predictors of practicing in a solo or small practice, while the other was restricted to solo and small practices and assessed predictors of practicing in a solo practice. RESULTS More than one-half of respondents worked in solo or small practices. Small practices were the largest group (36%) and were the most likely to be located in a rural setting (20%). The likelihood of having a care coordinator and medical home certification increased with practice size. Physicians were more likely to be practicing in small or solo practices (vs medium-sized or large ones) if they were African American or Hispanic, had been working for more than 30 years, and worked in rural areas. Physicians were more likely to be practicing in small practices (vs solo ones) if they worked in highly rural areas. CONCLUSIONS Family physicians in solo and small practices comprised the majority among all family physicians seeking board certification and were more likely to work in rural geographies. Extension programs and community health teams have the potential to support transformation within these practices. PMID:26755778

Opening the black box of ethics policy work: evaluating a covert practice.

PubMed

Frolic, Andrea; Drolet, Katherine; Bryanton, Kim; Caron, Carole; Cupido, Cynthia; Flaherty, Barb; Fung, Sylvia; McCall, Lori

2012-01-01

Hospital ethics committees (HECs) and ethicists generally describe themselves as engaged in four domains of practice: case consultation, research, education, and policy work. Despite the increasing attention to quality indicators, practice standards, and evaluation methods for the other domains, comparatively little is known or published about the policy work of HECs or ethicists. This article attempts to open the "black box" of this health care ethics practice by providing two detailed case examples of ethics policy reviews. We also describe the development and application of an evaluation strategy to assess the quality of ethics policy review work, and to enable continuous improvement of ethics policy review processes. Given the potential for policy work to impact entire patient populations and organizational systems, it is imperative that HECs and ethicists develop clearer roles, responsibilities, procedural standards, and evaluation methods to ensure the delivery of consistent, relevant, and high-quality ethics policy reviews.

Reaching new heights: development of the emergency department nurse practitioner fellowship program.

PubMed

Varghese, Jane R; Silvestri, Antonette; Lopez, Patricia

2012-01-01

With nationwide resident shortages and decreasing resident shifts, and legislation decreasing resident work hours, the nurse practitioners (NPs) have been called upon to expand their scope of practice to encompass patients with immediate and critical conditions and to perform quick procedures. Most pediatric NP (PNP) programs do not have formal training for NP students to work in a pediatric emergency department (ED). Senior ED NPs in collaboration with an NP educator developed a comprehensive clinical program to prepare a general PNP student to practice in an ED. The fellowship committee, met with 3 local university PNP program directors. The fellowship program targeted highly motivated individuals with an interest in working in a pediatric ED at the completion of their program as recruits for the position. Based on positive feedback, there has been overwhelming support and acceptance from the ED attending physicians, the NPs in the specialty clinics, as well as the ED staff regarding the new NP fellowship role. The NP fellow experienced less stress transitioning from student to NP. The development of the fellowship program is a step forward in the future training of NPs. The structured fellowship will hopefully facilitate a seamless transition from student to NP.

Experiment and application of soft x-ray grazing incidence optical scattering phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shuyan; Li, Cheng; Zhang, Yang; Su, Liping; Geng, Tao; Li, Kun

2017-08-01

For short wavelength imaging systems，surface scattering effects is one of important factors degrading imaging performance. Study of non-intuitive surface scatter effects resulting from practical optical fabrication tolerances is a necessary work for optical performance evaluation of high resolution short wavelength imaging systems. In this paper, Soft X-ray optical scattering distribution is measured by a soft X-ray reflectometer installed by my lab, for different sample mirrors、wavelength and grazing angle. Then aim at space solar telescope, combining these scattered light distributions, and surface scattering numerical model of grazing incidence imaging system, PSF and encircled energy of optical system of space solar telescope are computed. We can conclude that surface scattering severely degrade imaging performance of grazing incidence systems through analysis and computation.

A call center primer.

PubMed

Durr, W

1998-01-01

Call centers are strategically and tactically important to many industries, including the healthcare industry. Call centers play a key role in acquiring and retaining customers. The ability to deliver high-quality and timely customer service without much expense is the basis for the proliferation and expansion of call centers. Call centers are unique blends of people and technology, where performance indicates combining appropriate technology tools with sound management practices built on key operational data. While the technology is fascinating, the people working in call centers and the skill of the management team ultimately make a difference to their companies.

Mental and psychomotor task performance in noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The possible adverse effects of noise on mental and psychomotor task performance were a matter of practical concern for centuries and continue to be a matter of scientific controversy. A review indicates that except for the masking or interferences with the hearing of sounds needed to perform a given task, noise does not necessarily interfer with work performance. However, because of difficulties in the experimental control of some of these possible effects, the results of research on work performance in noise were inconsistent and difficult to encompass in any simple theoretical construct. Indeed, reviews of research in this area conclude that simple generalizations about possible effects of noise on work performance cannot be made. Nevertheless, several general theories were put forth.

Do workers' health surveillance examinations fulfill their occupational preventive objective? Analysis of the medical practice of occupational physicians in Catalonia, Spain.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Jareño, Mari Cruz; Molinero, Emilia; de Montserrat, Jaume; Vallès, Antoni; Aymerich, Marta

2017-10-06

Although routine workers' health examinations are extensively performed worldwide with important resource allocation, few studies have analyzed their quality. The objective of this study has been to analyze the medical practice of workers' health examinations in Catalonia (Spain) in terms of its occupational preventive aim. A cross-sectional study was carried out by means of an online survey addressed to occupational physicians who were members of the Catalan Society of Safety and Occupational Medicine. The questionnaire included factual questions on how they performed health examinations in their usual practice. The bivariate analysis of the answers was performed by type of occupational health service (external/internal). The response rate was 57.9% (N = 168), representing 40.3% of the reference population. A high percentage of occupational physicians had important limitations in their current medical practice, including availability of clinical and exposure information, job-specificity of tests, and early detection and appropriate management of suspected occupational diseases. The situation in external occupational health services - that covered the great majority of Catalan employees - was worse remarkably in regard to knowledge of occupational and nonoccupational sickness absence data, participation in the investigation of occupational injuries and diseases, and accessibility for workers to the occupational health service. This study raises serious concerns about the occupational preventive usefulness of these health examinations, and subsequently about our health surveillance system, based primarily on them. Professionals alongside health and safety institutions and stakeholders should promote the rationalization of this system, following the technical criteria of need, relevance, scientific validity and effectiveness, whilst ensuring that its ultimate goal of improving the health and safety of workers in relation to work is fulfilled. Other countries with similar surveillance systems might be encouraged by our results to assess how their practices fit the intended purpose. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(6):823-848. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Revised 2017 Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (Competent, Proficient, and Expert) in Oncology Nutrition.

PubMed

Charuhas Macris, Paula; Schilling, Karen; Palko, Raymond

2018-04-01

Oncology nutrition encompasses nutrition care for individuals along the cancer care continuum. Nutrition is a vital component of prevention, treatment, and healthy survivorship. The practice of an oncology registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) reflects the setting and population served with diverse cancer diagnoses, including expanded roles and responsibilities reflecting the RDN's interests and organization's activities. Provision of nutrition services in oncology requires that RDNs have advanced knowledge in the focus area of oncology nutrition. Thus, the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, with guidance from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Management Committee, has developed Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance as tools for RDNs currently in practice or interested in working in oncology nutrition, to address their current skill level and to identify areas for additional professional development in this practice area. The Standards of Practice address and apply the Nutrition Care Process and workflow elements, which are screening, assessment, diagnosis, intervention, evaluation/monitoring, and discharge planning and transitions of care. The Standards of Professional Performance consist of the following six domains of professionalism including: Quality in Practice, Competence and Accountability, Provision of Services, Application of Research, Communication and Application of Knowledge, and Utilization and Management of Resources. Within each standard, specific indicators provide measurable action statements and describe three skill levels (competent, proficient, and expert) for RDNs working in oncology nutrition. Copyright © 2018 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Understanding Work-Related Stress and Practice of Professional Self-Care--An Innovative Pedagogical Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwong, Kenny

2016-01-01

Social workers experience tremendous work-related stress--particularly among those providing direct services in healthcare settings. A review of related literature summarized several critical challenges faced by social workers who work with highly difficult clients in these settings, including (a) clients who engage in manipulative high-risk…

Cultivating Work-Based Ethics with Massively Multiplayer Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Andy

2010-01-01

Currently the news is awash with reports of high-profile corporate and political scandals and revelations around unethical work and corrupt practices. Unfortunately this shows little sign of abating with a very high proportion of young people displaying cynical and possibly corrosive attitudes around ethics in the work-place. It is clearly…

Drinking and driving among high school students.

PubMed

Williams, A F; Lund, A K; Preusser, D F

1986-06-01

A questionnaire survey of high school students conducted in 1983 provided information on their self-reported drinking and driving practices. By age 15 the majority reported drinking alcoholic beverages. By age 17 half or more of the males and one-third of the females reported driving after drinking at least once in the past month. About one-quarter of the students estimated that six or more cans of beer would be required to make someone an unsafe driver. Reported frequency of driving after drinking was associated with less time spent on homework and poorer academic performance, working part time, greater participation in social activities, less perceived parental influence regarding their travel, owning a car, driving high mileage, speeding, and having crashes and violations.

RRAM-based parallel computing architecture using k-nearest neighbor classification for pattern recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yuning; Kang, Jinfeng; Wang, Xinan

2017-03-01

Resistive switching memory (RRAM) is considered as one of the most promising devices for parallel computing solutions that may overcome the von Neumann bottleneck of today’s electronic systems. However, the existing RRAM-based parallel computing architectures suffer from practical problems such as device variations and extra computing circuits. In this work, we propose a novel parallel computing architecture for pattern recognition by implementing k-nearest neighbor classification on metal-oxide RRAM crossbar arrays. Metal-oxide RRAM with gradual RESET behaviors is chosen as both the storage and computing components. The proposed architecture is tested by the MNIST database. High speed (~100 ns per example) and high recognition accuracy (97.05%) are obtained. The influence of several non-ideal device properties is also discussed, and it turns out that the proposed architecture shows great tolerance to device variations. This work paves a new way to achieve RRAM-based parallel computing hardware systems with high performance.

Incorporating injured employee outcomes into physical and occupational therapists' practice: a controlled trial of the Worker-Based Outcomes Assessment System.

PubMed

Ross, Robert H; Callas, Peter W; Sargent, Jesse Q; Amick, Benjamin C; Rooney, Ted

2006-12-01

Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) remain costly. The Worker-Based Outcomes Assessment System (WBOAS) is an injury treatment improvement tool. Its purpose is to increase treatment effectiveness and decrease the cost of care delivered in Occupational Health Service clinics. The study used a non-randomized (parallel cohort) control trial design to test the effects on injured employee outcomes of augmenting the standard care delivered by physical and occupational therapists (PT/OTs) with the WBOAS. The WBOAS works by putting patient-reported functional health status, pain symptom, and work role performance outcomes data into the hands of PT/OTs and their patients. Test clinic therapists were trained to incorporate WBOAS trends data into standard practice. Control clinic therapists delivered standard care alone. WBOAS-augmented PT/OT care did improve (p< or =.05) physical functioning and new injury/re-injury avoidance and, on these same dimensions, cost-adjusted outcome. It did not improve (p>.05) mental health or pain symptoms or return-to-work or stay-at-work success nor, on these same dimensions, cost-adjusted outcome. Training PT/OTs to incorporate patient-reported health status, pain symptom, and work role performance outcomes trends data into standard practice does appear to improve treatment effectiveness and cost on some (e.g. physical functioning) but not other (e.g. mental health, pain symptoms) outcomes.

Maths for medications: an analytical exemplar of the social organization of nurses' knowledge.

PubMed

Dyjur, Louise; Rankin, Janet; Lane, Annette

2011-07-01

Within the literature that circulates in the discourses organizing nursing education, there are embedded assumptions that link student performance on maths examinations to safe medication practices. These assumptions are rooted historically. They fundamentally shape educational approaches assumed to support safe practice and protect patients from nursing error. Here, we apply an institutional ethnographic lens to the body of literature that both supports and critiques the emphasis on numeracy skills and medication safety. We use this form of inquiry to open an alternate interrogation of these practices. Our main argument posits that numeracy skills serve as powerful distraction for both students and teachers. We suggest that they operate under specious claims of safety and objectivity. As nurse educators, we are captured by taken-for-granted understandings of practices intended to produce safety. We contend that some of these practices are not congruent with how competency actually unfolds in the everyday world of nursing practice. Ontologically grounded in the materiality of work processes, we suggest there is a serious disjuncture between educators' assessment and evaluation work where it links into broad nursing assumptions about medication work. These underlying assumptions and work processes produce contradictory tensions for students, teachers and nurses in direct practice. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The payment for performance model and its influence on British general practitioners' principles and practice.

PubMed

Norman, Armando Henrique; Russell, Andrew J; Macnaughton, Jane

2014-01-01

This article explores some effects of the British payment for performance model on general practitioners' principles and practice, which may contribute to issues related to financial incentive modalities and quality of primary healthcare services in low and middle-income countries. Aiming to investigate what general practitioners have to say about the effect of the British payment for performance on their professional ethos we carried out semi-structured interviews with 13 general practitioner educators and leaders working in academic medicine across the UK. The results show a shift towards a more biomedical practice model and fragmented care with nurse practitioners and other health care staff focused more on specific disease conditions. There has also been an increased medicalisation of the patient experience both through labelling and the tendency to prescribe medications rather than non-pharmacological interventions. Thus, the British payment for performance has gradually strengthened a scientific-bureaucratic model of medical practice which has had profound effects on the way family medicine is practiced in the UK.

Facilitation of creative performance by using blue and red accent lighting in work and learning areas.

PubMed

Kombeiz, Olga; Steidle, Anna

2018-03-01

Research has shown that colours influence motivation and cognitive performance. In achievement contexts, red evokes avoidance motivation that hinders creativity, while blue elicits an approach motivation that facilitates creativity. However, due to their position and mode of presentation, colours may convey a different message. Red accent lighting creates a cosy, friendly room atmosphere that may, even in an achievement context, elicit an approach rather than an avoidance motivation. Results (N = 146) showed that both blue and red accent light increased strategic approach motivation compared to white accent light. Moreover, through the heightened approach motivation, colourful accent light indirectly improved creative performance. Implications for future research on colour and practical implications for colour usage are discussed. Practitioner Summary: Designing work environments for creativity is a new topic in ergonomics research and practice. The present study demonstrates indirect effects of coloured accent light on creativity providing interesting possibilities for the design of workplaces for knowledge workers, classrooms and all other rooms in which people work on new ideas.

Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice: Structure and Randomization in Large Scale Combinatorial Search

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-17

PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION...world problems. Our work brings together techniques from constraint programming, mathematical programming, and satisfiability in a symbiotic way to...power-­‐law  search  tree  model  for  complete  or  exact  methods     (See [9] for a detailed description of this work and

What Works, Works Everywhere: Q&A with Michael Barber

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crow, Tracy

2009-01-01

This article presents an interview with Michael Barber, a partner at McKinsey & Company, leading its global education practice. He has been working on major challenges of performance, organization, and reform in government and the public services, especially education, in the U.S., U.K., and other countries. Barber was instrumental in preparing…

Neural Bases of Automaticity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Servant, Mathieu; Cassey, Peter; Woodman, Geoffrey F.; Logan, Gordon D.

2018-01-01

Automaticity allows us to perform tasks in a fast, efficient, and effortless manner after sufficient practice. Theories of automaticity propose that across practice processing transitions from being controlled by working memory to being controlled by long-term memory retrieval. Recent event-related potential (ERP) studies have sought to test this…