Number Of Positive Attributes Research Articles

What makes a good clinical practice experience in radiography and sonography? An exploration of qualified clinical staff and student perceptions

IntroductionClinical practice can be a challenging experience for some healthcare students. The quality of the clinical experience can have a profound effect on the overall student learning experience in clinical practice and attrition. The aim of the study was to explore the perceptions of an optimal clinical practice experience by radiography and sonography students and qualified clinical staff. MethodsA qualitative research design was adopted utilising focus groups (n = 5). The study population comprised of qualified radiography/sonography staff (n = 10) from across a number of placement sites used by City, University of London and radiography and sonography students (n = 15) from the same institution. Full verbatim transcriptions were analysed thematically. ResultsFour key themes emerged: 1) favourable/unfavourable traits, 2) creating an optimal learning environment 3) challenges and 4) considerations for clinical education. Key factors for a positive learning experience included clinical supervisors being approachable, whilst encouraging and empowering students. Qualified radiography/sonography clinical staff highlighted student motivation as an important aspect for successful placement learning. ConclusionThe study has provided an insight into a number of positive attributes that enhance student learning experiences whilst on clinical placement. Unhelpful attributes and challenges, such as student motivation and time limitations, were also revealed. It is important that supervisors within the clinical departments actively work towards the provision of a positive learning experience. Implications for practiceThis study can better inform clinical staff regarding the importance of enhancing the student learning experience and facilitating high quality learning within the clinical department. Moreover, to encourage clinical staff to ensure robust “support” is established for students on placement.

Elucidation of Physiological, Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Salinity Response Mechanisms in Medicago sativa.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a widely grown perennial leguminous forage crop with a number of positive attributes. However, despite its moderate ability to tolerate saline soils, which are increasing in prevalence worldwide, it suffers considerable yield declines under these growth conditions. While a general framework of the cascade of events involved in plant salinity response has been unraveled in recent years, many gaps remain in our understanding of the precise molecular mechanisms involved in this process, particularly in non-model yet economically important species such as alfalfa. Therefore, as a means of further elucidating salinity response mechanisms in this species, we carried out in-depth physiological assessments of M. sativa cv. Beaver, as well as transcriptomic and untargeted metabolomic evaluations of leaf tissues, following extended exposure to salinity (grown for 3-4 weeks under saline treatment) and control conditions. In addition to the substantial growth and photosynthetic reductions observed under salinity treatment, we identified 1233 significant differentially expressed genes between growth conditions, as well as 60 annotated differentially accumulated metabolites. Taken together, our results suggest that changes to cell membranes and walls, cuticular and/or epicuticular waxes, osmoprotectant levels, antioxidant-related metabolic pathways, and the expression of genes encoding ion transporters, protective proteins, and transcription factors are likely involved in alfalfa's salinity response process. Although some of these alterations may contribute to alfalfa's modest salinity resilience, it is feasible that several may be disadvantageous in this context and could therefore provide valuable targets for the further improvement of tolerance to this stress in the future.

Trends in Farm-to-Table from a Sociological Perspective

Research indicates a growing trend in consumers' preference for local foods 1 Grebitus C. Lusk J. Nayga M. Effect of distance of transportation on willingness to pay for food. Ecological Econ. 2013; 88: 67-75 Crossref Scopus (128) Google Scholar , 2 Baumann S. Johnston J. Foodies: Democracy and Distinction in the Gourmet Foodscape. Routledge, New York, NY2009 Google Scholar , 3 National Restaurant AssociationNews and research: What's hot in 2013. http://www.restaurant.org/News-Research/Research/What-s-Hot Google Scholar , 4 Martinez S. Hand M. Da Pra M. et al. Local food systems: Concepts, impacts, and issues ERR97. http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/122868/err97_1_.pdf Google Scholar , 5 Nation's Restaurant NewsIndustry experts forecast 2012 trends. https://www.technomic.com/_files/blog/Uploaded/industryexperts.pdf Google Scholar and, by association, sustainable growing practices. Experts in fields spanning academic sociology to business say different definitions for local and sustainability exist in the minds of consumers, but changes observed in restaurants and farmers' markets alike suggest a shifting paradigm rather than a fad, as business follows demand for the concept en gros. Surveys suggest consumers associate the term local with a number of positive attributes, ranging from food that is more nutritious to more supportive of their community's economy. 1 Grebitus C. Lusk J. Nayga M. Effect of distance of transportation on willingness to pay for food. Ecological Econ. 2013; 88: 67-75 Crossref Scopus (128) Google Scholar Sociologically, some individuals suggest that simply the idea of local foods and sustainable farming practices helps to bridge demographics otherwise isolated from one another. 2 Baumann S. Johnston J. Foodies: Democracy and Distinction in the Gourmet Foodscape. Routledge, New York, NY2009 Google Scholar , 6 Hinrichs C. Lyson T. Remaking the North American Food System: Strategies for Sustainability. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE2009 Google Scholar

Components of Health Promoting Schools in Ugandan primary schools: a pilot study

Health Promoting Schools (HPSs) represent key settings through which health can be improved. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has provided component indicators but data on the degree of coverage of these key components of HPSs in many countries are limited. The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether and to what extent information on the components of HPSs in Ugandan primary schools could be generated using focus group discussions (FGD) as well as through observational data. Four schools (two rural and two urban) were randomly selected from the sampling frame of 18 rural and 76 urban government-aided primary schools in Mbale District, Uganda. Focus group discussions (FGDs) involving teachers, parents and pupils were held at each school. Indicators of HPSs were also observed and recorded at each of the selected schools. A scoring system was devised based on the number of positive attributes derived from the WHO list of component indicators. Descriptive analysis from FGDs and observational data was also undertaken. Overall, the urban schools had a higher number of positive observations than rural schools for HPS indicators with some marked variation between urban and rural schools for specific indicators. This pilot study provided data to show that coverage of HPS components by different schools could be successfully evaluated using FGD and observational findings. Those strengths and shortcomings identified within and between the four schools necessitate further exploration with a larger scale study.

Mental Health Services: A Public Health Perspective, 2nd ed.

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book Forum: Mental Health ServicesFull AccessMental Health Services: A Public Health Perspective, 2nd ed.HAROLD ALAN PINCUS, M.D., HAROLD ALAN PINCUSSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., Pittsburgh, Pa.Published Online:1 Apr 2005https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.162.4.830AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail As someone whose interests span clinical, research, and policy issues in behavioral health services, I am often called upon to meet with students and trainees who are interested in policy and administration. I also codirect a seminar series on social and community psychiatry for psychiatric residents and frequently present lectures to medical or public health students on the “mental health system” and related policy issues. As such, I was looking forward to identifying a single text that I could share with interested students and use as a backbone for the seminar. Mental Health Services: A Public Health Perspective has a number of positive attributes, but, overall, it does not have the coverage and focus to meet that need.The text has 20 chapters organized into four parts: Service Delivery Issues, Selected Populations at Risk (children and adolescents, adults, older adults, substance abuse), Special Issues, and Managing Mental Health Systems. The book’s greatest strengths are quality of the contributors (all are major leaders in each of the domains selected) and the broad range of disciplines represented. The greatest weaknesses are the lack of a cohesive vision and insufficient linkages among the chapters. As a result, a student would not really get the big picture. To try to remedy this often encountered problem in multiauthored texts, the editors had most authors include a section at the end of each chapter titled Implications for Mental Health Services. However, no consistent framework is discernible for how the authors determined the implications, and the sections often seem tacked on.Another problem that limits the applicability to non-mental-health disciplines is that there is very little on the nature of treatment for behavioral conditions and their effectiveness (especially for those who are not seriously mentally ill). Also, some clinical vignettes might help nonclinicians get a more concrete sense of how practices and policies affect individuals. The epidemiology chapters are all excellent reviews of the literature, but they provide very little connection to services and policy issues per se. As a text for nonepidemiologists, the book might have included a section on how these surveys are typically conducted, warts and all. There is a chapter titled “Co-Occurring Disorders,” but most other chapters ignore this phenomenon. For example, the chapter on criminal justice says almost nothing about substance abuse.There are some outstanding chapters that I would certainly offer to trainees with specific interest: “Mental Health Disability Law,” “Policy and Services Delivery,” “Child Mental Health Policy,” “Mental Health Policy and Aging,” and the chapter on evaluation are all comprehensive and superb.Finally, despite the subtitle, A Public Health Perspective, that perspective does not appear to be well represented in the text. For example, epidemiologic data strongly demonstrate that the largest proportion of mental health care is provided in the primary care sector, yet there is no chapter focused on that issue.By Bruce Lubotsky Levin, John Petrila, and Kevin D. Hennessy. New York, Oxford University Press, 2004, 474 pp., $65.00. FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByNone Volume 162Issue 4 April 2005Pages 830-830 Metrics PDF download History Published online 1 April 2005 Published in print 1 April 2005

Modifying soybean oil for enhanced performance in biodiesel blends

Soybean ( Glycine max Merr.) oil is primarily composed of five fatty acids; palmitic acid (∼13%), stearic acid (∼4%), oleic acid (∼18%), linoleic acid (∼55%) and linolenic acid (∼10%). The average U.S. production of soybean oil from 1993 to 1995 was 6.8 billion kg and in 2002 soybeans were harvested from more than 30 million ha across the U.S., which accounts for 40% of the total world soybean output. This production capacity accounts for more than 50% of the total available biobased oil for industrial applications. A useful industrial application of soybean oil is in biodiesel blends. On a liquid basis, the total soybean oil production capacity would be equivalent to 1.9 billion gal of diesel, about 6.9% of the diesel fuel consumed in the United States for transportation in 1996. A number of positive attributes are realized with the use of soybean oil-derived biodiesel, including enhanced biodegradation, increased flashpoint, reduced toxicity, lower emissions and increased lubricity. However, the two parameters that have limited usefulness of a soybean oil-derived biodiesel as a fuel are oxidative instability and cold flow in northern climates. The latter is not an issue in warmer environments, and thus soybean oil modifications designed to maximize engine performance should be targeted with marketplace locale considerations in mind. Implementing the tools of biotechnology to modify the fatty acid profile of soybean for locale performance enhancement may increase the attractiveness of biodiesel derived from this commodity crop.