Measure Of Success Research Articles

Home blood pressure stability score is associated with better cardiovascular prognosis: data from the nationwide prospective J-HOP study.

A home blood pressure (BP)-centered strategy is emerging as the optimal approach to achieve adequate BP control in individuals with hypertension, but a simple cardiovascular risk score based on home BP level and variability is lacking. This study used prospective data from the Japan Morning Surge-Home Blood Pressure (J-HOP) extended study to develop a simple home BP stability score for the prediction of cardiovascular risk. The J-HOP extended study included 4070 participants (mean age 64.9 years) who measured home BP three times in the morning and evening for 14 days at baseline. During the mean 6.3-year follow-up, there were 260 cardiovascular events. A home BP stability score was calculated based on the average of morning and evening systolic BP (SBP; MEave), and three home BP variability metrics: average real variability (average absolute difference between successive measurements); average peak (average of the highest three SBP values for each individual), and time in therapeutic range (proportion of time spent with MEave home SBP 100-135 mmHg). There was a curvilinear association between the home BP stability score and the risk of cardiovascular events. Compared with individuals in the optimal home SBP stability score group (9-10 points), those in the very high-risk group (0 points) had significantly higher cardiovascular event risk during follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio 3.97, 95% confidence interval 2.22-7.09; p < 0.001), independent of age, sex, medication, cardiovascular risk factors, and office BP. These data show the potential for a simple home BP-based score to predict cardiovascular event risk in people with hypertension.

Quantification of Adeno-Associated Viral Genomes in Purified Vector Samples by Digital Droplet Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a non-pathogenic virus used as a delivery vehicle to transfer therapeutic genes into patients. Accurate quantification of AAV genome copy number in vector preparations is essential for bioprocess optimization and dosage calculation in both preclinical and clinical studies of AAV-based gene therapy products. Currently, a consensus protocol for AAV viral genome titration is lacking. Here, we present a digital droplet PCR (dd_PCR) protocol for the quantification of viral genomes in purified vector samples. Samples are treated with DNase I to eliminate unpackaged contaminant DNA. DNase-treated samples are then mixed with an appropriate primer-probe set (designed according to the target AAV genome) and PCR reagents, and then loaded into a droplet generator. The prepared droplets are transferred into a PCR plate, where PCR amplification is performed and analyzed. The viral genome titer is calculated based on the concentration (copies/µL), accounting for sample dilutions. A successful measurement shows a clear separation of the positive and negative droplet clouds, has at least 10,000 accepted droplets, shows a value between 10 copies/µL and 10,000 copies/µL, and has a coefficient of variation (CV) between repeats lower than 20%. Reliable viral genome titration will aid in the development of safe and effective AAV-based gene therapy products.

Patients with low prognosis in ART: a Delphi consensus to identify potential clinical implications and measure the impact of POSEIDON criteria

BackgroundCurrently, there is no consensus on the optimal management of women with low prognosis in ART. In this Delphi consensus, a panel of international experts provided real-world clinical perspectives on a series of literature-supported consensus statements regarding the overall relevance of the POSEIDON criteria for women with low prognosis in ART.MethodsUsing a Delphi-consensus framework, twelve experts plus two Scientific Coordinators discussed and amended statements and supporting references proposed by the Scientific Coordinators (Round 1). Statements were distributed via an online survey to an extended panel of 53 experts, of whom 36 who voted anonymously on their level of agreement or disagreement with each statement using a six-point Likert-type scale (1 = Absolutely agree; 2 = More than agree; 3 = Agree; 4 = Disagree; 5 = More than disagree; 6 = Absolutely disagree) (Round 2). Consensus was reached if > 66% of participants agreed or disagreed.ResultsThe extended panel voted on seventeen statements and subcategorized them according to relevance. All but one statement reached consensus during the first round; the remaining statement reached consensus after rewording. Statements were categorized according to impact, low-prognosis validation, outcomes and patient management. The POSEIDON criteria are timely and clinically sound. The preferred success measure is cumulative live birth and key management strategies include the use of recombinant FSH preparations, supplementation with r-hLH, dose increases and oocyte/embryo accumulation through vitrification. Tools such as the ART Calculator and Follicle-to-Oocyte Index may be considered. Validation data from large, prospective studies in each POSEIDON group are now needed to corroborate existing retrospective data.ConclusionsThis Delphi consensus provides an overview of expert opinion on the clinical implications of the POSEIDON criteria for women with low prognosis to ovarian stimulation.

High School Enabling Programs, Learning Journeys, and Transitions: Measuring Effectiveness from the Student Perspective

University enabling programs provide historically underrepresented students with aspirational gateways and the academic skills and knowledges essential for success at university. Measurement of the efficacy of such programs has been typically neoliberal and quantitative in nature. This article argues for a nuanced measurement of success, exploring the efficacy of enabling programs from the students’ perspective to reduce marginalising the lived experience of enabling students. A phenomenologically inspired, qualitative online survey was made available to students enrolled in two high school enabling programs at Murdoch University, TLC Learning for Tomorrow, and FlexiTrack High, and an interpretative phenomenological analysis was performed on the data. The key findings indicate that enabling students feel well equipped for first year transition, but some barriers endure. The qualitative evidence could give rise to the creation of a more holistic measure of student success and encourage universities to develop stronger transition strategies for equity groups.

Investigating the Impact of LMS Quality, Technical Support and Perceived Usefulness on Student Satisfaction in Saudi Universities

Educational technology, particularly Learning Management Systems (LMS), has seen significant growth in recent years. As LMS platforms have evolved rapidly, managing them effectively has become crucial for the success of online courses. Many institutions and organizations now focus on developing LMS solutions as part of their e-learning strategies. LMS platforms are used in various educational contexts, including campus-based, distance, classroom, online, traditional, modern, and massive open online courses. They integrate numerous technological tools to support and enhance each stage of the learning process. In this context, user satisfaction is often discussed as a critical measure of LMS success. This study examines the primary factors influencing user satisfaction and the overall impact of LMS usage. It examines how these factors relate to student satisfaction and assesses LMS effectiveness. Data was gathered using a questionnaire based on previous research. The findings reveal that all identified factors positively impact student satisfaction, suggesting that greater user satisfaction leads to improved benefits for students.

A-198 ESG Opportunities Harnessed During Pathology Transformation

Abstract Background Synnovis (a SYNLAB business) is in the process of delivering one of the largest Pathology transformation programmes in the UK, moving to a seven-site hub and spoke model from 89 laboratories over a dispersed geography. This remit also presented an opportunity for SYNLAB to deliver on its Environmental Social Governance (ESG) ambitions, by embedding ESG principles into programme delivery. There are several examples within each ESG pillar that demonstrate the benefits to be leveraged during transformation. Methods SYNLAB’s vision is to deliver sustainable diagnostic services. The integration of ESG into both the decision-making process and transformation structure ties these ambitions into programme benefits realisation. As well as setting performance level targets, the delivery of ESG benefits provide measures of success throughout the transformation journey, motivating stakeholders and building confidence along the way. Results Environment: The efficient use of space and LEAN principle design has consolidated the fragmented laboratory services spanning 15,000m2 into a bespoke, cutting-edge Pathology Hub with 6 spokes (hospital based services). The new hub building was designed to achieve BREEAM Excellent standards which measure performance against criteria such as energy management and efficiency, sustainable design and materials. The hub’s energy is from renewable-backed sources, and we will achieve a 47% reduction in CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions by unifying a significant proportion of its legacy footprint in this way. Further energy savings will be achieved through the associated analytical equipment consolidation, including a decrease from 50 to 14 microtomes, a decrease of 29 to 15 ventilated benches and a reduction of over 200 fridges and freezers across the service. In addition, substantial CO2e emissions savings are also being delivered by moving to a greener logistics provider, utilising electric vehicles and bikes. 2023 saw such emissions fall by 60% across Synnovis, helping to keep London’s air cleaner. Social: The transformation programme enables the hand back of over 6,000m2 of real estate to Synnovis’ NHS partners to use for critical hospital services (the equivalent of over 150 operating theatres). Governance Both internally and externally, ESG is integrated within the Synnovis organisational culture. For example, internally it applies mandatory sustainability metrics to its solution selection processes. These influenced the selection of Abbott’s Indexor solution to support the transformation of Blood Sciences, delivering a saving of over 2.8 million plastic sample bags every year. Externally, SYNLAB works with its partners to manage this substantial and complex transformation programme. Risk management is assured through transparency, securing confidence in the good use of public funds, ensuring responsiveness to customer and partner feedback, and ensuring accountability for and the delivery of targeted healthcare outcomes. Conclusions The integration of SYNLAB’s ESG strategy within the transformation programme is delivering tangible benefits across all ESG pillars. It has highlighted that in addition to the core outcome of services transformation, there are many more opportunities that can be realised as a result of making ESG an integral part of the pathology transformation programme.

DIGITAL LEARNING SUPPORT ELEMENTS IN THE ONLINE TEACHING OF GERMAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

In recent years, pedagogical design and practice have undergone a forced transformation that has brought many innovative methods and tools to the implementation process. The transition to online education has demanded new infrastructural solutions that have temporarily replaced traditional classroom practices. Most teachers seem to have adapted well to these new challenges. Learning support platforms and online teaching elements had to be harnessed by teachers who, in many cases, acquired this knowledge on their own, in awareness of their importance. Our study examines the need for digital learning support elements in primary schools of the German national minority in Hungary. Our research tools comprised an online questionnaire survey conducted in 2022. The goal of our study was to identify the problems that teachers faced in the transition to online teaching during the period of distance learning introduced due to the COVID pandemic in 2020 and since; the forms of support teachers received nationwide; and the measure of success in their work as language teachers. We also looked at the factors that influenced the digital elements being used. Finally, we examined whether teachers are still willing to use online learning support tools when returning to face-to-face teaching.

Practical approach to extending baselines of telescopes using continuous-variable quantum information

Abstract Interferometric telescopes are instrumental for the imaging of distant astronomical bodies, but optical loss heavily restricts how far telescopes in an array can be placed from one another, leading to a bottleneck in the resolution that can be achieved. An entanglement-assisted approach to this problem has been proposed by (Gottesman et al 2011 Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 070503), as a possible solution to the issue of optical loss if the entangled state can be distributed across long distances by employing a quantum repeater network. In this paper, we propose an alternative entanglement-assisted scheme that interferes a two-mode squeezed vacuum state with the astronomical state and then measures the resulting state by means of homodyne detection. We use a continuous-variable approach and compute the Fisher information with respect to the mutual coherence of the astronomical source. We show that when the Fisher information is observed cumulatively at the rate at which successful measurements can be performed, our proposed scheme does not outperform the traditional direct detection approach or the entanglement-assisted approach of GJC12.

Paramedic educational programs maintain entry level competency throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic required unprecedented changes to emergency medical services (EMS) educational frameworks in the United States. It is unclear if pandemic-related changes impacted paramedic educational outcomes. We aimed to evaluate curricular and performance changes resulting from the initial COVID-19 pandemic on paramedic educational programs. We performed a retrospective cross-sectional evaluation of paramedic educational programs in 2019 and 2020 using the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions annual reports. These reports contain detailed program components and measures of program success. We included programs reporting at least one graduate in the study period. Descriptive statistics (proportions [%], median [interquartile range, IQR]) were calculated for paramedic program characteristics in 2019 and 2020, as well as pandemic specific curriculum changes. Wilcoxon rank-sum and Fisher's exact tests were used to evaluate differences in characteristics by year. The number of paramedic educational programs in our population decreased from 640 programs in 2019 to 612 in 2020, with a statistically significant decrease in clinical hours (2019: 219 [IQR 168‒272]; 2020: 200.5 [IQR 157‒261]). There was no difference in first or third-attempt certification examination success between years. Temporary shutdown was experienced in 34% of programs (duration: 3weeks [2‒7]) and 72% of required curricular changes. Curricular changes commonly included decreased in-person education (86%), traditional classroom lectures (78%), number of clinical sites (78%), and increased online didactic education (92%). Only 20% of programs decreased laboratory simulation or total training hours. During the pandemic, paramedic educational programs changed educational delivery with no observed differences on overall program performance. Identifying key curricular changes and best practices for implementation may be necessary to better optimize future educational delivery.

What Really Separates Exceptional Leaders From the Pack

This article examines what truly separates exceptional leaders from average performers based on leadership literature and the author's experiences in consulting and research. Through an analysis of key attributes demonstrated by highly successful leaders across sectors, five distinguishing characteristics emerge. Exceptional leaders demonstrate deep self-awareness and authenticity. They convey inspiring strategic visions along with competent plans for achieving them. They focus externally on cultivating others' potential. Internally, resilience and adaptability enable navigation of challenges. Most importantly, exceptional leadership is defined by tangible positive impact and lasting organizational or societal change - the ultimate measure of any leader's success. Real-world case studies across industries illustrate how top leaders embody these traits in practice. The consistent emergence of these underlying disciplines suggests they can be cultivated to inspire elevated performance.

Child Abuse: The Psychological and Societal Effects of Virtual Networks

Information and communication technologies now play a crucial role in the lives and development of children. But kids also need to learn how to manage the risks that come with using technology. Online social networks have many effects and dangers on individual mental health, so excessive use causes depression, anxiety, violence, addiction, and body image distortions in individuals. Although researchers focus on the negative effects of social networks, they still have several benefits for individual health. To understand how exposure to child abuse information on social media platforms affects social relationships and psychological well-being. Inclusion-Exclusion methodology used in this research. Social connections and psychological health are seriously impacted by watching child abuse content on social media. It speaks that to lessen these effects and safeguard those at risk, strong support networks, as well as successful internet safety measures, are needed. This study establishes the degree to which the Internet’s security measures and support networks are currently adequate to lessen these consequences.

Artificial Intelligence Adoption and Project Success: A Mixed-Method Study

AI&amp;apos;s growing acceptance is changing project management&amp;apos;s human-centric approach. Project management is using AI to automate and support duties. This change could improve workflows, decision-making, and project efficiency. The full influence of AI on project success is unknown. There is little empirical evidence linking AI use to project outcomes. This ignorance highlights the necessity to study AI&amp;apos;s impact on project management. The project management AI industry is expected to expand 38% annually. Since the late 1980s, AI has improved project management by providing more intelligent and autonomous help. Data privacy, accountability, strategic leadership, communication, innovation, and emotional intelligence are important ethical issues. This study examines how AI adoption affects project success through communication and feedback. This mixed-method study examines how AI adoption affects project success. The quantitative phase measured AI communication, feedback, and project progress via a predefined questionnaire. The sample includes construction, IT, manufacturing, healthcare, and finance project managers and team members. Multiple regression analysis and structural equation modelling were employed in IBM SPSS AMOS to examine AI adoption and project success measures. A qualitative phase of semi-structured interviews with respondents contextualised the quantitative data. Thematic analysis gleaned insights from interview transcripts. AI&amp;apos;s impact on project success was examined using integrated data, with ethics in mind. The study examined AI tool-project success relationships using a structural equation model. Communication mode, feedback style, and frequency explained 3% of project success variance. Quantitative research showed that AI communication frequency improves project success, whereas mode and style negatively impact it. Participants&amp;apos; qualitative comments indicated six themes that match quantitative findings, and their replies enhance quantitative results and recommend improvements. The study concluded that AI communication frequency positively increases project success, while mode and style negatively affect it. The mixed-methods approach showed that AI tools alone cannot ensure project success; communication style and frequency are. The study recommended among others that organisations should integrate AI tools into project management systems, match AI communication modes to project team preferences, optimise feedback styles, and provide regular updates to improve AI communication. Project teams need ongoing training.

Fiducial Reference Measurement for Greenhouse Gases (FRM4GHG)

The Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) and the Infrared Working Group of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC-IRWG) are two ground-based networks that provide the retrieved concentrations of up to 30 atmospheric trace gases, using solar absorption spectrometry. Both networks provide reference measurements for the validation of satellites and models. TCCON concentrates on long-lived greenhouse gases (GHGs) for carbon cycle studies and validation. The number of sites is limited, and the geographical coverage is uneven, covering mainly Europe and the USA. A better distribution of stations is desired to improve the representativeness of the data for various atmospheric conditions and surface conditions and to cover a large latitudinal distribution. The two successive Fiducial Reference Measurements for Greenhouse Gases European Space Agency projects (FRM4GHG and FRM4GHG2) aim at the assessment of several low-cost portable instruments for precise measurements of GHGs to complement the existing ground-based sites. Several types of low spectral resolution Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers manufactured by Bruker, namely an EM27/SUN, a Vertex70, a fiber-coupled IRCube, and a Laser Heterodyne spectro-Radiometer (LHR) developed by UK Rutherford Appleton Laboratory are the participating instruments to achieve the Fiducial Reference Measurements (FRMs) status. Intensive side-by-side measurements were performed using all four instruments next to the Bruker IFS 125HR high spectral resolution FTIR, performing measurements in the NIR (TCCON configuration) and MIR (NDACC configuration) spectral range. The remote sensing measurements were complemented by AirCore launches, which provided in situ vertical profiles of target gases traceable to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reference scale. The results of the intercomparisons are shown and discussed. Except for the EM27/SUN, all other instruments, including the reference TCCON spectrometer, needed modifications during the campaign period. The EM27/SUN and the Vertex70 provided stable and precise measurements of the target gases during the campaign with quantified small biases. As part of the FRM4GHG project, one EM27/SUN is now used as a travel standard for the verification of column-integrated GHG measurements. The extension of the Vertex70 to the MIR provides the opportunity to retrieve additional concentrations of N2O, CH4, HCHO, and OCS. These MIR data products are comparable to the retrieval results from the high-resolution IFS 125HR spectrometer as operated by the NDACC. Our studies show the potential for such types of spectrometers to be used as a travel standard for the MIR species. An enclosure system with a compact solar tracker and meteorological station has been developed to house the low spectral resolution portable FTIR systems for performing solar absorption measurements. This helps the spectrometers to be mobile and enables autonomous operation, which will help to complement the TCCON and NDACC networks by extending the observational capabilities at new sites for the observation of GHGs and additional air quality gases. The development of the retrieval software allows comparable processing of the Vertex70 type of spectra as the EM27/SUN ones, therefore bringing them under the umbrella of the COllaborative Carbon Column Observing Network (COCCON). A self-assessment following the CEOS-FRM Maturity Matrix shows that the COCCON is able to provide GHG data products of FRM quality and can be used for either short-term campaigns or long-term measurements to complement the high-resolution FTIR networks.

Development of a scale to measure successful aging in late middle-aged women

This study was conducted in two stages, the tool development stage and the tool verification stage, and was based on DeVellis' tool development guidelines. A total of 18 questions were confirmed as a result of developing a successful aging measurement tool for middle-aged women and verifying the validity. It consisted of a total of 5 factors, and in consideration of the characteristics of the items included in each factor, factor 1 was named 'inconvenience of aging', factor 2 was named 'inconvenience of female hormone deficiency', factor 3 was named 'family success', factor 4 was named 'appearance due to aging', and factor 5 was named 'aging and lifestyle change'. It is measured on a 5-point Likert scale, and the score is 18 points to 90 points, which means that the higher the score, the higher the successful aging. The tool developed in this study will be used to measure successful aging status tailored to middle-aged women.

Am I Successful? An Answer of Women Entrepreneurs

The success of women entrepreneurs is almost uniformly judged by financial criteria. As a result, the so-called underperformance hypothesis is put forward. However, this hypothesis may be ill-founded, and it may serve to reproduce and reinforce myths about women and entrepreneurship. It is important to understand what success means for women entrepreneurs operating in a given socio-economic context before we label them as underperformers. Moreover, although the importance of the contextual approach is recognized, some contexts are under-researched and less visible. Results from North America and Western Europe cannot be replicated in other contexts, especially in developing countries or patriarchal societies. For different contexts, we need new evidence. And this new evidence can make us realize that some concepts need to be revised to capture the collective vision of entrepreneurs. Instead of one paradigm, we should recognize the existence of a diversity of forms, motives, and understanding of success in entrepreneurship, as well as the contexts in which it occurs, to ensure holistic knowledge on entrepreneurship. To respond to these challenges, the research is conducted on a sample of 300 female entrepreneurs in the Republic of Serbia who operate in manufacturing. The respondents were asked to state what business success means to them and then to subjectively assess how successful they are according to the same criteria. In this way, the research results reveal how successful women entrepreneurs are, but measured in a way that reflects their perceptions of success. Results show that the importance that a certain criterion has for female entrepreneurs as an indicator of success is positively related to their success measured by that criterion. Not imposing on women entrepreneurs the usual measures of business success, the paper responds to calls to de-masculinize women’s entrepreneurship research by introducing gender-specific variables and widening the set of measures of success. In doing so, it is placed in specific and under-researched contexts of a developing country and manufacturing industry. In this way, the paper further contributes to the enrichment of the entrepreneurship knowledge base.

Study of the rapid variability of a dwarf nova SS Cyg at different brightness levels

Observations of the dwarf nova SS Cyg were made in the period 2019–2021 at different brightness values (V~ 10–12m) both at the stage of falling radiation flux after the flare maximum, and in the inactive state between flares. Data were obtained in filtersRc(~8650 observations, 3 sets), andV(~50 000 points, 22 sets). The value of the system’s orbital period in 2019–2021 (Porb= 0.27408(2)d) used in this study is 0.4% less than the value obtained in 1983–1996. The time resolution between two successive measurements is 6–14 s depending on the equipment used. An extensive database of new observational data allowed us to perform a quantitative analysis of observations. Analysis of the data after taking into account orbital variability and other trends associated with changes in the system’s radiation flux during the night showed the presence of cyclic fluctuations in brightness, usually 4–10 events per orbital cycle — flickering. For most series of observations, the Lafleur-Kinman method determined such a value of the oscillation period at which convolution of observations with it showed a single wave. The obtained values of the characteristic flickering times and their amplitudes show their dependence on the average brightness level of the system. With increasing luminosity of the system, both of these quantities decreased linearly. From the component size ratios SS Cyg it was shown that the source of flickering is located in the region of interaction of the gas flow with the near-disk halo: only this region in the SS Cyg system with parameters (q,i,Rd), defined by the authors earlier, can be eclipsed at large radii disk, and is clearly visible in all other orbital phases of the system.

Beyond the 95s: What happens when uniform program targets are applied across a heterogenous HIV epidemic in Eastern and Southern Africa?

The UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets are an important metric for guiding national HIV programs and measuring progress towards ending the HIV epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. Nevertheless, as proportional targets, the outcome of reaching the 95-95-95 targets will vary greatly across, and within, countries owing to the geographic diversity of the HIV epidemic. Countries and subnational units with a higher initial prevalence and number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) will remain with a larger number and higher prevalence of virally unsuppressed PLHIV—persons who may experience excess morbidity and mortality and can transmit the virus to others. Reliance on achievement of uniform proportional targets as a measure of program success can potentially mislead resource allocation and progress towards equitable epidemic control. More granular surveillance information on the HIV epidemic is required to effectively calibrate strategies and intensity of HIV programs across geographies and address current and projected health disparities that may undermine efforts to reach and sustain HIV epidemic control even after the 95 targets are achieved.

Agreement between manual and automatic ultrasound measurement of the velocity-time integral in the left ventricular outflow tract in intensive care patients: evaluation of the AUTO-VTI® tool.

Transthoracic echocardiography is widely used in intensive care unit (ICU) to manage patients with acute circulatory failure. Recently, automated ultrasound (US) measurement applications have been developed but their clinical performance has not been evaluated yet. The aim of this study was to assess the agreement between automated and manual measurements of the velocity-time integral in the left ventricular outflow tract (VTI-LVOT) using the auto-VTI® tool. This prospective, single-center, interventional study included ICU patients with acute circulatory failure. The examination involved two successive manual measurements of VTI-LVOT (mean of 3 consecutive heartbeats in regular sinus rhythm, and 5 heartbeats in irregular rhythm), followed by a measurement using auto-VTI® software. In patients receiving a fluid challenge, trending ability in detecting fluid responsiveness was also evaluated. Seventy patients were included between January 19, 2020, and September 24, 2020, at the Nîmes University Hospital. The feasibility of the auto-VTI® was 94%. The mean difference between the two methods was 11% with limits of agreement from - 19% to 42%. The proportion of agreement at the 15% difference threshold was 68% [58%; 80%]. The precision and least significant change measured for the manual measurement of VTI were 7.4 and 10.5%, respectively, and by inference for the automated method 28% and 40%. The new auto-VTI® tool, despite interesting feasibility, demonstrated an insufficient agreement with a systematic bias and an insufficient precision limiting its implementation in critically ill patients.Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04360304.

Weaknesses of steady state analysis when used for selecting solar air heaters

The paper highlights the constrains faced by the user when choosing the most appropriate solar collector from a set of collectors belonging to the same category. Two basic kinds of one porous and one non-porous with single flow/pass flat solar air heaters were tested. The collectors have the same size but different internal shapes and absorber materials. The two collectors were tested and a shading procedure was implemented in order to emphasize several aspects related to the thermal inertia of the collectors. Comparison has been made between the efficiency values obtained experimentally. The shade test shows a faster decrease of the outlet air temperature for V-porous absorber collector in comparison with the U-corrugated absorber collector i.e. 6 °C and –3.5 °C respectively in a time interval of 74 s. Exposing the collectors on a fresh heating cycle under a low stability radiative regime (450–750 W/m2) one observe that 60% of the first 180 s the corrugated collector outperforms the porous collector; after that interval of time the porous collector becomes more effective. The low thermal inertia of the solar air collectors yields high variation of the thermal efficiency in days with low stability of the radiative regime. In such days, using measured series of solar irradiance data with long sampling period between two successive measurements does not allow a proper choice of the most appropriate solar collector type.

Descriptive study showing the effect of small differences in entry scores on retention and success in six courses in nursing

BackgroundUndergraduate enrolments and completions in nursing are declining at the same time as requirements for registered nurses in the workforce is increasing. One way to increase enrolments is to lower entry requirements into nursing programs. This study determined the effect of a small lowering of entry scores on the retention and success rates. The study was undertaken at Griffith University, where identical bioscience and clinical courses run at three campuses, one with a lower- than normal-entry score and two with the normal-entry requirements.MethodsA comparison of the 62–148 students enrolled in the courses at the lower- than normal- (lesser) entry requiring campus with the 197–288 students enrolled in the courses in one normal-entry requiring campuses. For individual courses (4 bioscience and 2 clinical courses) retention rates were measured and compared between campuses/cohorts. For completing students, we measured success as (i) Academic outcomes; overall marks and marks for the exam and coursework and (ii) Failure rates in the examination and coursework. Data analysis was by Student’s t-test and Odds ratio.ResultsFor all courses, there were few significant differences in measures of retention and success between the lower- and normal-entry campuses, and all differences were small.Comparing the campuses; (a) For all courses, progression rates were similar. (b) For completing students, passing rates were similar in the bioscience courses, but higher in the normal- than lower-entry campus for the clinical courses. (c) In the bioscience courses, the overall marks were similar, but in the clinical courses, the overall mark was slightly higher in the normal- than lower-entry campus. (d) The overall failure rates were similar for the biosciences, but higher for the lower- than normal-entry cohort in the clinical courses. (e) The failure rates in exams were similar between cohorts in all courses.ConclusionsThis study shows that small changes in entry requirements for a nursing program had minimal effects on retention. The differences in entry requirements also did not affect the success of students in the bioscience courses. Decreasing entry requirement for nursing programs may be a way to increase nursing graduates.