Emotional intelligence development in radiation therapy students: A longitudinal study

Purpose: Emotional intelligence (EI) is an increasingly important aspect of a health professional’s skill set. It is strongly associated with empathy, reflection and resilience; all key aspects of radiotherapy practice. Previous work in other disciplines has formed contradictory conclusions concerning development of EI over time. This study aimed to determine the extent to which EI can develop during a radiotherapy undergraduate course and identify factors affecting this. Methods and materials: This study used anonymous coded Likert-style surveys to gather longitudinal data from radiotherapy students relating to a range of self-perceived EI traits during their 3-year degree. Data were gathered at various points throughout the course from the whole cohort. Results: A total of 26 students provided data with 14 completing the full series of datasets. There was a 17·2% increase in self-reported EI score with a p-value<0·0001. Social awareness and relationship skills exhibited the greatest increase in scores compared with self-awareness. Variance of scores decreased over time; there was a reduced change in EI for mature students who tended to have higher initial scores. EI increase was most evident immediately after clinical placements. Conclusions: Radiotherapy students increase their EI scores during a 3-year course. Students reported higher levels of EI immediately after their clinical placement; radiotherapy curricula should seek to maximise on these learning opportunities.

Quality of life changes during conformal radiation therapy for prostate carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to describe prospectively quality of life (QOL) before and after radiotherapy for patients with prostate carcinoma. METHODS: Forty-three patients with T1-T3 prostate carcinoma who underwent conformal external beam radiation therapy were randomized either to the complete European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QOL questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) or the Medical Outcomes Study Group Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) at baseline, at 3 weeks and 6 weeks after initial treatment, and at 6 weeks and 5 months after the completion of radiotherapy. The measures were self-reported patient QOL, and values are given as the mean +/- standard error of the mean. Changes in QOL are described from baseline to the end of treatment in both questionnaire groups. RESULTS: Emotional role functioning, as measured with the SF-36 questionnaire, significantly improved from 68.2 +/- 9.9 at baseline to 93.3 +/- 5.2 at the end of therapy (P = 0.02). The EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire revealed consistent values of emotional functioning during treatment (72.7 +/- 5.9 at baseline) but showed a significant improvement 6 weeks after therapy (89.0 +/- 4.4; P = 0.01). Role functioning deteriorated from 80.1 +/- 6.5 at baseline to 62.5 +/- 8.8 at the end of radiotherapy (P = 0.02). Symptoms of fatigue were shown to increase significantly from 26.9 +/- 6.0 at baseline to 37.7 +/- 7.6 at the end of therapy (P = 0.02). No significant changes in the other dimensions were observed in either questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: After radiotherapy for prostate carcinoma, patients experience a temporary deterioration of fatigue and role functioning, as measured with the EORTC QLQ-C-30. Despite physical deterioration, the authors observed an improvement in emotional functioning scores with both questionnaires. This may have been due to psychological adaptation and coping.

Emotional intelligence development in student radiation therapists: A longitudinal pilot study

Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined as “the ability to recognise, understand and manage emotions in ourselves and others”. Initially identified as a concept applied to leadership and management, EI is now recognised as an important skill in a number of areas, including healthcare [2]. Empathy (the ability to see the world through someone else’s eyes) is known to play an important role in the therapeutic relationship with patients [3]. As EI has been shown to improve empathy [4], it is clear that developing the EI of student health professionals should benefit patients in the long term. It is not surprising, then, that a number of studies have investigated the role of EI in medical, dental and nursing students, however there is little reported evidence relating to EI development in pre-registration radiation therapy (RT) students.

Plasma-enhanced synthesis of bioactive polymeric coatings from monoterpene alcohols: A combined experimental and theoretical study

This paper describes the synthesis and characterization of a novel organic polymer coating for the prevention of the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the solid surface of three-dimensional objects. Substrata were encapsulated with polyterpenol thin films prepared from terpinen-4-ol using radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Terpinen-4-ol is a constituent of tea tree oil with known antibacterial properties. The influence of deposition power on the chemical structure, surface composition, and ultimately the antibacterial inhibitory activity of the resulting polyterpenol thin films was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), water contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and 3-D interactive visualization and statistical approximation of the topographic profiles. The experimental results were consistent with those predicted by molecular simulations. The extent of bacterial attachment and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM). Polyterpenol films deposited at lower power were particularly effective against P. aeruginosa due to the preservation of original terpinen-4-ol molecules in the film structure. The proposed antimicrobial and antifouling coating can be potentially integrated into medical and other clinically relevant devices to prevent bacterial growth and to minimize bacteria-associated adverse host responses.

Experimental investigation of the effects of oxygenated fuels on exhaust emissions in a heavy duty diesel engine

Physical and chemical properties of biofuels vary among various feedstocks and their subsequent conversions to fuels. The biofuels contain various amounts of oxygen, and this has a significant influence on exhaust emission. This oxygen content has been considered in order to investigate its effect on diesel engine exhaust emissions. The experiments have been conducted with a heavy duty diesel engine and various oxygenated fuels. It is found that the amount of oxygen in the fuel has a high level of influence on its exhaust emissions, and this provides agreement with diesel emissions results such as PN reduction. By increasing the amount of oxygen in the blend (by adding more biofuel), the particulate number (PN) is reduced and NOx increases gradually. However, the variation of PN and NOx are not similar for waste cooking biodiesel (WCBD) and butanol blend, even though their oxygen content are the same in the blends. This is due to the source of the biofuel and their internal chemistry.

Learning from insurance data: Injuries to other road users in motorcyclist at-fault crashes

In multi-vehicle motorcycle crashes, the motorcycle rider is less likely to be at-fault but more commonly severely injured than the other road user. Therefore, not surprisingly, crashes in which motorcycle riders are at-fault and particularly the injuries to the other road users in these crashes have received little research attention. This paper aims to address this gap in the literature by investigating the factors influencing the severity of injury to other road users in motorcyclist-at-fault crashes. Five years of data from Queensland, Australia, were obtained from a database of claims against the compulsory third party (CTP) injury insurance of the at-fault motorcyclists. Analysis of the data using an ordered probit model shows higher injury severity for crashes involving young (under 25) and older (60+) at-fault motorcyclists. Among the not at-fault road users, the young, old, and males were found to be more severely injured than others. Injuries to vehicle occupants were less severe than those to pillions. Crashes that occurred between vehicles traveling in opposite directions resulted in more severe injuries than those involving vehicles traveling in the same direction. While most existing studies have analyzed police reported crash data, this study used CTP insurance data. Comparison of results indicates the potential of using CTP insurance data as an alternative to police reported crash data for gaining a better understanding of risk factors for motorcycle crashes and injury severity.

Experimental and numerical investigation of the behaviour of CFRP strengthened CHS beams subjected to bending

This paper presents the results of an experimental and numerical program to investigate the circular hollow section (CHS) beams, strengthened using Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets. The circular hollow shaped steel beams bonded with different CFRP layer orientations were tested under four-point bending. The mid-span deflection, service load and failure load were recorded. The LHL (where L, first inner longitudinal layer, H, second hoop layer and L, third outer longitudinal layer) and LLH (where L, first inner longitudinal layer, L, second longitudinal layer and H, third outer hoop layer) layer oriented strengthened beams perform slightly better than HHL (where H, first inner hoop layer, H, second hoop layer and L, third outer longitudinal layer) layer oriented strengthened beams. The LHL and LLH layer oriented treated beams showed very similar structural behaviour. Numerical analyses were then conducted on the CFRP strengthened steel CHS beams. The validity of the models has been assessed by comparing the failure loads and mid-span deflections. The effects of various parameters such as bond length, section types, tensile modulus of CFRP, adhesive layer thickness and adhesive types have been studied.

Experimental and numerical investigation of strain-rate-dependent behavior of kangaroo shoulder cartilage

This thesis introduces a new animal model, kangaroo, to biomechanical investigations of shoulder cartilage research. It examines the effect of cartilage structure and constituents on tissue behavior and its adaptation to mechanical loading. In doing so, the study explains the relationship of tissue's functional behaviors to its structure and constituents which has important implications for tissue engineering strategies catering joint specific cartilage tissue generation.

Hospital in the Nursing Home program reduces emergency department presentations and hospital admissions from residential aged care facilities in Queensland, Australia: A quasi-experimental study

Background There has been considerable publicity regarding population ageing and hospital emergency department (ED) overcrowding. Our study aims to investigate impact of one intervention piloted in Queensland Australia, the Hospital in the Nursing Home (HiNH) program, on reducing ED and hospital attendances from residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Methods A quasi-experimental study was conducted at an intervention hospital undertaking the program and a control hospital with normal practice. Routine Queensland health information system data were extracted for analysis. Results Significant reductions in the number of ED presentations per 1000 RACF beds (rate ratio (95 % CI): 0.78 (0.67–0.92); p = 0.002), number of hospital admissions per 1000 RACF beds (0.62 (0.50–0.76); p < 0.0001), and number of hospital admissions per 100 ED presentations (0.61 (0.43–0.85); p = 0.004) were noticed in the experimental hospital after the intervention; while there were no significant differences between intervention and control hospitals before the intervention. Pre-test and post-test comparison in the intervention hospital also presented significant decreases in ED presentation rate (0.75 (0.65–0.86); p < 0.0001) and hospital admission rate per RACF bed (0.66 (0.54–0.79); p < 0.0001), and a non-significant reduction in hospital admission rate per ED presentation (0.82 (0.61–1.11); p = 0.196). Conclusions Hospital in the Nursing Home program could be effective in reducing ED presentations and hospital admissions from RACF residents. Implementation of the program across a variety of settings is preferred to fully assess the ongoing benefits for patients and any possible cost-savings.

Dynamics of nitrate-nitrogen removal in experimental stormwater biofilters under intermittent wetting and drying

High concentrations of nitrate-nitrogen degrade the quality of aquatic environments. The primary mechanism by which nitrate-nitrogen is removed (denitrification) requires anoxic conditions and electron donors. While removal of total and ammonium-nitrogen is often high in stormwater biofilters, poor removal or even the release of nitrate-nitrogen in the outflow has often been observed. Five Perspex biofilter columns (94 mm internal diameter) were fabricated with a filter layer that contained 8% organic material. Columns were operated at 875  mm/h 875  mm/h and fed with simulated stormwater with different antecedent dry days (ADDs) and concentrations of nitrate-nitrogen. Samples were collected from the outflow at different time intervals between 2 and 150 min and were tested for nitrate-nitrogen. The removal of nitrate-nitrogen varied during an event from a high removal percentage (60–90%) in the initial outflow that gradually decreased in the first 30 min and settled at 0–15% removal thereafter. This remained consistent during all simulated events independent of the number of ADDs or inflow concentrations. ADDs and previous event feed concentrations affected the outflow nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the first 30 min of the current event. Therefore, from this study it is concluded that denitrification within stormwater biofilters occurs mainly during drying periods rather than wetting periods.

Tax compliance and psychic costs: Behavioral experimental evidence using a physiological marker

Although paying taxes is a key element of a well-functioning society, there is still limited understanding as to why people actually pay their taxes. Models emphasizing that taxpayers make strategic, financially motivated compliance decisions seemingly assume an overly restrictive view of human nature. Law abidance may be more accurately explained by social norms, a concept that has gained growing importance as research attempts to understand the tax compliance puzzle. This study analyzes the influence of psychic stress generated by the possibility of breaking social norms in the tax compliance context. We measure psychic stress using heart rate variability (HRV), which captures the psychobiological or neural equivalents of psychic stress that may arise from the contemplation of real or imagined actions, producing immediate physiologic discomfort. The results of our laboratory experiments provide empirical evidence of a positive correlation between psychic stress and tax compliance, thus underscoring the importance of moral sentiments for tax compliance. We also identify three distinct types of individuals who differ in their levels of psychic stress, tax morale, and tax compliance.

How social preferences shape incentives in (experimental) markets for credence goods

Credence goods markets suffer from inefficiencies caused by superior information of sellers about the surplus-maximising quality. While standard theory predicts that equal mark-up prices solve the credence goods problem if customers can verify the quality received, experimental evidence indicates the opposite. We identify a lack of robustness with respect to heterogeneity in social preferences as a possible cause of this and conduct new experiments that allow for parsimonious identification of sellers’ social preference types. Our results confirm the assumed heterogeneity in social preferences and provide strong support for our explanation of the failure of verifiability to increase efficiency.

Experimental studies of lipped channel beams subject to web crippling under two-flange load cases

Lipped channel beams (LCBs) are commonly used as flexural members such as floor joists and bearers in the construction 6 industry. These thin-walled LCBs are subjected to specific buckling and failure modes, one of them being web crippling. Despite considerable 7 research in this area, some recent studies have shown that the current web crippling design rules are unable to predict the test capacities under 8 end-two-flange (ETF) and interior-two-flange (ITF) load conditions. In many instances, web crippling predictions by the available design 9 standards such as AISI S100, AS/NZS 4600 and Eurocode 3 Part 1-3 are inconsistent, i.e., unconservative in some cases, although they 10 are conservative in other cases. Hence, experimental studies consisting of 36 tests were conducted in this research to assess the web crippling 11 behavior and capacities of high-strength LCBs under two-flange load cases (ETF and ITF). Experimental results were then compared with the 12 predictions from current design rules. Comparison of the ultimate web crippling capacities from tests showed that the design equations are 13 very unconservative for LCB sections under the ETF load case and are conservative for the ITF load case. Hence, improved equations were 14 proposed to determine the web crippling capacities of LCBs based on the experimental results from this study. Current design equations do 15 not provide the direct strength method (DSM) provisions for web crippling. Hence, suitable design rules were also developed under the DSM 16 format using the test results and buckling analyses using finite-element analyses.

Experimental studies on web crippling strength of hollow flange channels under EOF and IOF load cases

LiteSteel beam (LSB) is a hollow flange channel made from cold-formed steel using a patented manufacturing process involving simultaneous cold-forming and dual electric resistance welding. LSBs are currently used as floor joists and bearers in buildings. However, there are no appropriate design standards available due to its unique hollow flange geometry, residual stress characteristics and initial geometric imperfections arising from manufacturing processes. Recent research studies have focused on investigating the structural behaviour of LSBs under pure bending, predominant shear and combined actions. However, web crippling behaviour and strengths of LSBs still need to be examined. Therefore, an experimental study was undertaken to investigate the web crippling behaviour and strengths of LSBs under EOF (End One Flange) and IOF (Interior One Flange) load cases. A total of 23 web crippling tests were performed and the results were compared with the current AS/NZS 4600 and AISI S100 design standards, which showed that the cold-formed steel design rules predicted the web crippling capacity of LSB sections very conservatively under EOF and IOF load cases. Therefore, suitably improved design equations were proposed to determine the web crippling capacity of LSBs based on experimental results. In addition, new design equations were also developed under the Direct Strength Method format. This paper presents the details of this experimental study on the web crippling behaviour and strengths of LiteSteel beams under EOF and IOF load cases and the results.

Experimental and numerical studies of hollow flange channel beams subject to web crippling under ETF and ITF load cases

This paper presents the details of experimental and numerical studies on the web crippling behaviour of hollow flange channel beams, known as LiteSteel beams (LSB). The LSB has a unique shape of a channel beam with two rectangular hollow flanges, made using a unique manufacturing process. Experimental and numerical studies have been carried out to evaluate the behaviour and design of LSBs subject to pure bending actions, predominant shear actions and combined actions. To date, however, no investigation has been conducted into the web crippling behaviour and strength of LSB sections under ETF and ITF load conditions. Hence experimental studies consisting of 28 tests were first conducted in this research to assess the web crippling behaviour and strengths of LSBs under two flange load cases (ETF and ITF). Experimental web crippling capacity results were then compared with the predictions from AS/NZS 4600 and AISI S100 design rules, which showed that AS/NZS 4600 and AISI S100 design equations are very unconservative for LSBs under ETF and ITF load cases. Hence improved equations were proposed to determine the web crippling capacities of LSBs. Finite element models of the tested LSBs were then developed, and used to determine the elastic buckling loads of LSBs under ETF and ITF load cases. New equations were proposed to determine the corresponding elastic buckling coefficients of LSBs. Finally suitable design rules were also developed under the Direct Strength Method format using the test results and buckling analysis results from finite element analyses.