Performance In Actual Practice Research Articles

Boosting Photocatalytic Activity over Graphitic Carbon Nitride by Hydrogen-Bonding-Assisted Charge Transfer

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) offers a great number of advantages for use as a photocatalyst to facilitate a wide variety of photocatalytic reactions. However, pristine g-C3N4 suffers from unsatisfactory photocatalytic performance in actual practice. Nonetheless, as a nitrogen-rich layered material, g-C3N4 offers abundant opportunities for the formation of hydrogen bonds between the NH/NH2 groups within the layers, which can incite proton transfer reactions owing to the inherent polarity of the proton donor and acceptor in the hydrogen bond and thereby improve the transport rate of photogenerated carriers, especially for holes. Yet, relatively little work has been done to improve the photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4 through efforts to enhance its hydrogen bond network. The present work addresses this issue by constructing a hydrogen bond network on g-C3N4 by pressurizing a mixture of pristine g-C3N4 nanosheets with water at a temperature of 120 °C for 12 h. The results of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and density functional theory demonstrate that the hydrogen bonds on the g-C3N4 surfaces provide an additional pathway for the separation of photogenerated electrons and enhanced hole transfer kinetics. The hydrogen bond network formed between the g-C3N4 layers effectively suppresses charge complexation, improves the photocatalytic efficiency of g-C3N4, and increases the selectivity for photocatalytic products. Our results provide valid insights for designing g-C3N4 photocatalysts with high photocatalytic activity.

Statistical Comparison of the Performance of Alternative Contracting Methods in Florida

This study empirically examines the performance of alternative contracting methods using data from 2,721 highway projects gathered from a Florida Department of Transportation database. Contracting methods can significantly influence the cost and time of highway projects, so it is essential to use appropriate contracting methods in highway projects, especially considering the huge current volume of work and great need for more lane miles and new bridges. The most widely used alternative contracting methods in horizontal construction include Design–Build Major, Design–Build Minor, Cost Plus Time, Incentive/Disincentive, Lump Sum, and No Excuse Bonus. These have been devised to overcome shortcomings of the conventional Design–Bid–Build (DBB) method; however, their actual performance in practice has not previously been rigorously studied. To fill this gap, we statistically analyze our sample of highway projects using the Shapiro–Wilk test, Levene’s test, Kruskal–Wallis test, Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test, and Dunn’s test for unequal sample sizes. Another unique contribution of this research is the analytical techniques employed, which led to more reliable results based on the large quantity of data gathered. We find that some contracting methods performed better than others in each cost category for cost and time, and based on average cost and time savings, but not all were confirmed statistically. All seven contracting methods performed better in achieving time reductions than cost reductions, and all methods were more effective in reducing the cost and time of projects worth less $20 million than those worth over $20 million.

Overview on research in the field of medical education

Medical education is arelatively young field of research that has been characterized by many innovations over the last 20years. The main topics were the preparation of students for their medical work and imparting of profound knowledge about scientific contexts in medicine. For along time, the main focus was on learning the necessary knowledge and skills; however, this is no longer considered sufficient. In order to carry out the work as aphysician well, other qualities are also necessary, such as communication, collaboration, professionalism, science and reflectivity. Worldwide these aspects are being increasingly integrated into the learning objectives of medical schools and residency programs. The structure of medical studies at many universities has also changed. So-called vertical integration strengthens the integration of theoretical preclinical training and the clinical phase. This means that in the preclinical phase training is more practice-oriented and in the clinical phase amore structured form of training takes place. In the first years of study, students are prepared for the clinical phase by discussing patient cases and practicing skills in simulation centers. In addition, the clinical working environment is increasingly used as alearning environment. Developments have also been made regarding examinations: in addition to knowledge and skills, students and residents are now also assessed regarding performance in practice. Using more realistic assessments, e.g., Objective Structured Clinical Examinations and Workplace-based Assessments, students are evaluated more on their actual performance in practice. By means of the Entrustable Professional Activities method, students are gradually given more responsibility in order to prepare them for their future tasks.

On the Evolution on Chinese Environmental Law and Governance

In 1997, William Alford and Yuanyuan Shen published an article entitled Limits of Law in Addressing China’s Environmental Dilemma (“Limits of Law”) in Stanford Environmental Law Review. Alford and Shen wrote this article in the early to mid-1990s at a time of rapid, yet still relatively newfound, legal construction in China. They observed that “the Chinese state has increasingly turned to public, positive law to address important concerns,” as if the development were still somewhat of a surprise. The chaos and lawlessness of the Cultural Revolution, once praiseworthy to some, had given away to active and energetic efforts to experiment with all manner of governance reforms, including the reconstruction of a comprehensive legal system. But, as the title of the Alford/Shen article suggested, these efforts at rebuilding law faced strong political, economic, social and legal headwinds that limited the usefulness of law in achieving environmental goals. Over the last decade or so, China has dramatically increased the political priority of a particular vision of sustainable development (what official Party rhetoric has called “the construction of ecological civilization” 生态文明建设). But China’s particular approach to achieving “eco-civilization” remains inadequately understood. Eco-civilization reforms are state-led, technocratic, and focused on “top-down design” (顶层设计). At the same time, reforms have incorporated transparency, public participation, and market-based tools to varying (but in most respects still limited) degrees. These reforms have also emerged so quickly and in such volume that scholars and researchers have struggled to determine their actual performance in practice. This brief essay identifies the reform activities that have accompanied the eco-civilization push and identifies issues raised by the direction of Chinese environmental reform.

“Apping Up”: Prospects for Information Technology Innovation in Return to Work Communication

Purpose During return to work (RTW), communication between health care providers and employers largely takes place through standardize paper-based forms. Information technology (IT) platforms may provide advantages in enabling information exchange and decision-making through sharing of guidelines and resources. We investigated stakeholder perspectives on the prospect of IT use for RTW communication in Ontario, Canada. Methods Consistent with the exploratory nature of the questions, qualitative methods were used. Primary data were interviews with health care providers (HCPs), employers, and workers with experience in RTW. The first portion of initial interviews elicited general perspectives and experiences related to RTW communication. Participants were then exposed to a prototype IT communication platform and elicited their feedback. Follow-up interviews with HCP's and EMP's were used to allow further reflection and clarification of data. We used progressive, thematic coding to analyze data. Results 12 HCPs, 7 employers, and 5 workers participated in the study. Five inter-related themes were obtained. Participants expressed no absolute objection to the use of IT for RTW communication but varying degrees of support. Participants revealed how media change depended on a prospective IT innovation's perceived usefulness, fit with current practices, capacity to gain buy-in from other stakeholders, and ability to demonstrate positive performance in actual practice. Conclusions Findings suggest that a transition to an IT-mediated tool for RTW communication is supported in principle; however, major caveats exist in relation to perceived value and fit with stakeholder practice. System support and stakeholder cooperation are likely necessary to adopt the change, yet IT-mediated communication has yet to demonstrate value. To avoid circularity, proof of principal needs to be established through an implementation trial of such technology.

Escenarios formativos y competencias profesionales en la formación inicial del profesorado

En un momento de cambios como el que estamos viviendo, las Universidades deben de tener en consideración las nuevas formas de enseñar y aprender, para que los futuros profesionales adquieran las competencias necesarias para desenvolverse en un mercado laboral en continua transformación. Las competencias técnicas se quedan cortas a la hora de formar futuros docentes que precisan de otro tipo de competencias, genéricas y transversales, que les proyecten de forma más eficaz en los escenarios de trabajo que le son propios. Con nuestra investigación aportamos información acerca de las competencias que los estudiantes de la asignatura “Practicum” perciben que adquieren tanto en la Facultad como en el Centro de prácticas. Ello nos da la información necesaria para intervenir sobre los programas formativos, adelantando posibles vías de solución o cambio en aquellos aspectos que puedan manifestarse como prioritarios: contenidos, competencias, estructura, duración, metodologías de aprendizaje, etc. Otro aspecto analizado es la contribución de las diferentes asignaturas del currículum a la formación de competencias de los futuros docentes. Conocer cómo se percibe la enseñanza teórica y su aportación al desempeño real en la práctica, consideramos que es una información fundamental para conseguir profesionales competentes. Esta aportación, forma parte de una investigación más amplia que engloba a todos los estudiantes de las asignaturas Practicum I, Practicum II y Practicum III de las titulaciones de Grado en Educación Infantil y Primaria, a lo largo de tres años académicos. En este artículo presentamos los resultados relativos al Practicum I en esos años consecutivos, pudiendo observar cómo hay diferencias significativas en cuanto al curso de referencia y a la titulación, a la hora de hablar de las competencias adquiridas en ese período formativo

Evaluación de la percepción de estudiantes y docentes de la División Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad del Norte acerca de las innovaciones en las prácticas en la asignatura Promoción de la Salud y Prevención de la Enfermedad. Barranquilla (Colombia), 2013-2014

Objectives: To identify the perception of students and teachers who participated in educational innovation of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention subject in 2013 and 2014, where students acquire skills for primary health care. Materials and methods: A descriptive evaluation design with a quantitative and qualitative approach which determineted the student satisfaction related to practices, achieving attitudinal goals and skill acquisition. 86 fourth semester students participated, 17 nurses and 69 of medicine from Universidad del Norte at Barranquilla (Colombia). Results: 90 % said that practices promoted the development of abilities to work in a community setting, showing respect for the culture of the community; 95 % say that in practice the development of an ethical component and communication skills were encouraged. Teachers (85 %) believe that there is more teamwork among students and service staff. Conclusions: The perception of satisfaction was consistent for students and teachers under the new rotation model, achieving competence in each work team from the identification of skills in simulation laboratories and performance in actual practice with cases. With innovation the students adquired greater knowledge on the model of care, with emphasis on primary health care. Besides acquiring skills through the laboratory and clinical skills, previous to Community practice.

Performance measurement of broadband, wide-angle polarizing beam splitter

Polarizing beam splitter (PBS) is a critical optical component in projection display system because PBS performance greatly influences the contrast and brightness of the system. PBS performance is usually measured by spectrophotometer after coating and cementing, but the measured result cannot represent the actual performance in practice because people usually change the incident angle in one plane (horizontal plane) and do not consider the other plane (vertical plane). Geometrical polarization rotation occurring at reduced F-number influences the measuring precision of s-polarization transmittance (Ts) and p-polarization reflectance (Rp). A more accurate and practical way to measure the performance of broadband, wide-angle PBS is presented in this paper.

Breaking bad news: experiences, views and difficulties of pre-registration house officers

To obtain information regarding the involvement of pre-registration house officers (PRHOs) in the discussions on bad news, and the competency and difficulties they perceive in clinical practice. Structured telephone interviews. 104 PRHOs. Information about frequency and quality of involvement of PRHOs in discussions on bad news with patients and relatives, perceived competency and difficulties related to this task as well as ethical views concerning the disclosure of bad news. 82 PRHOs (78.9%) had initiated the breaking of bad news to a patient at least once, whilst patients themselves had initiated discussions of bad news by asking the doctors questions (92.3%). Almost all (96.2%), indicated that they had broken bad news to relatives of a patient. The majority of the junior doctors participating in our study felt fairly or very confident (90.4%) to break bad news. 'Often' quoted difficulties for over a fifth of the sample included 'Thinking I was not the appropriate person to discuss the bad news', 'Having all the relevant information available', 'Dealing with emotions of patient/relative', 'Lack of privacy' and 'Patients/relatives do not speak English'. Although 99 PRHOs (95.2%) believed that patients should be informed about a serious life threatening illness, 30.8% of the participants stated that doctors need to judge whether or not to tell a patient bad news. Factors most frequently selected by the PRHOs from a given list of possible factors contributing to a gap between theory and practice included problems with the organization of clinics (73.1%), insufficient postgraduate training (63.5%) and lack of staff (54.8%). The results indicate that PRHOs are frequently involved in the breaking of bad news. Whilst no claims can be made for their,actual performance in practice, their perceptions of competency would indicate that the extensive and compulsory undergraduate teaching they had received on this subject has served to prepare them for this difficult task. Organizational and structural aspects need to be taken into account as factors assisting or undermining doctors in their efforts to put into practice ethically sound and skilled communication when disclosing bad news.

Does competence of general practitioners predict their performance? Comparison between examination setting and actual practice.

To study the differences and the relation between what a doctor actually does in daily practice (performance) and what he or she is capable of doing (competence) by using national standards for general practice. General practitioners were consulted by four standardised (simulated) patients portraying four different cases during normal surgery hours. Later the doctors participated in a controlled practice test, for which they were asked to perform to the best of their ability. In the test they saw exactly the same standardised cases but in different patients. The patients reported on the consultations. Province of Limburg, the Netherlands. 442 general practitioners invited by a letter. 137 (31%) agreed to participate, of whom 36 were selected and visited. Number of actions taken during the consultations across complaints and for each category of complaint: the competence and performance total scores. Combination of scores with duration of consultations (efficiency-time score). Correlation between scores in the competence and performance part. Mean (SD) total score across complaints for competence was 49% higher than in the performance test (81.8 (11) compared with 54.7 (10.1), p less than 0.0001). The Pearson correlation across complaints between the competence total score and the performance total score of the participating physicians was -0.04 (not significant). When efficiency and consultation time of the consultations were taken into account, the correlation was 0.45 (p less than 0.01). Assessment of competence under examination circumstances can have predictive value for performance in actual practice only when factors such as efficiency and consultation time are taken into account. Below standard performance of physicians does not necessarily reflect a lack of competence. Performance and competence should be considered as distinct constructs.