Handwritten undergraduate case reports

Background: This article describes a 'back to the future' approach to case 'write-ups', with medical students producing handwritten instead of word-processed case reports during their clinical placements. Word-processed reports had been found to have a number of drawbacks, including the inappropriate use of 'cutting and pasting', undue length and lack of focus. Method: We developed a template to be completed by hand, based on the hospital 'clerking-in process', and matched this to a new assessment proforma. An electronic survey was conducted of both students and assessors after the first year of operation to evaluate impact and utility. Results: The new template was well received by both students and assessors. Most students said they preferred handwriting the case reports (55.6%), although a significant proportion (44.4%) preferred the word processor. Many commented that the template enabled them to effectively learn the structure of a case history and to improve their history-taking skills. Most assessors who had previously marked case reports felt the new system represented an improvement. The average time spent marking each report fell from 23.56 to 16.38minutes using the new proforma. Discussion: Free text comments from the survey have led to the development of a more flexible case report template better suited to certain specialties (e.g. dermatology). This is an evolving process and there will be opportunities for further adaptation as electronic medical records become more common in hospital. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012.

Field observation of sequestration of uranium in iron-rich sediments under sequential reduction-oxidation conditions at the DOE Oak Ridge IFRC

At the U.S. DOE Oak Ridge Integrated Field Research Challenge (ORIFRC) site, the iron content of shallow subsurface materials (i.e. weathered saprolite) is relatively high (up to 5-6% as w/w), and therefore, the forms of the iron species present plays a critical role in the long-term sequestration of uranium. A long term pilot-scale study of the bioreduction and reoxidation of uranium conducted at the ORIFRC area 3 site, adjacent to the former S-3 disposal ponds (source zone), has provided us with the opportunity to study the impact of iron species on the sequestration of U(VI). The aqueous U(VI) concentrations at the site were decreased to below the EPA MCL through the intermittent injection of ethanol as the electron donor. Previous field tests indicated that both oxygen and nitrate could oxidize the bioreduced U(IV) and cause a short-term rebound of aqueous phase uranium concentration after the oxidative agents were delivered directly to the bioreduced zone.

A field test has been conducted to examine the long-term effect of exposure of bioreduced sediments to nitrate in contaminated groundwater for more than 1,380 days at the Area 3 site. Contaminated groundwater was allowed to invade the previously bioreduced zone via the natural groundwater gradient after an extended period in which reducing conditions were maintained and the bioreduced zone was protected from the influx of upgradient contaminated groundwater. The geochemical response to the invasion of contaminated groundwater was dependent on whether the monitoring location is in the middle or the fringe of the previously bioreduced zone. In general, the nitrate concentrations in the previously bioreduced area, increased gradually from near zero to ~50-300 mM within 200 days and then stabilized. The pH declined from bioreduced levels of 6.2-6.7 to below 5.0. Uranium concentrations rebounded in all monitoring wells but at different rates. At most locations U concentrations rebounded, declined and then rebounded again. Methane gas disappeared while a significant level (20,000 to 44,000 ppmv) N2O was found in the groundwater of monitoring wells after three years of reoxidization.

The U(IV) in sediments was mainly reoxidized to U(VI) species. Based on XANES analysis, the predominate uranium in all samples after re-oxidation was similar to a uranyl nitrate form. But the U content in the sediment remained as high as that determined after bioreduction activates were completed, indicating that much of the U is still sequestrated in situ. SEM observations of surged fine sediments revealed that clusters of colloidal-sized (200-500nm) U-containing precipitates appeared to have formed in situ, regardless from sample of FW106 in non-bioactivity control area or of pre-bioreduced FW101-2 and FW102-3. Additionally, SEM-EDS and microprobe analysis, showed that the U-containing precipitates (~1% U) in FW106 are notably higher in Fe, compared to the precipitates (~1-2.5% U) from FW101-2 and FW102-3. However, XRF analysis indicated that the U content was remained as high as 2180 and 1810 mg/kg with U/Fe ratio at 0.077 and 0.055 vs 0.037 g/g, respectively in pre-bioreduced FW101-2 and FW102-3, suggesting more U sequestrated by Fe in pre-bioreduced sediments.

Scaled Heavy-Ball Acceleration of the Richardson-Lucy Algorithm

The Richardson-Lucy algorithm is one of the most important algorithms in the image deconvolution area. However, one of its drawbacks is slow convergence. A very significant acceleration is obtained by the technique proposed by Biggs and Andrews (BA), which is implemented in the deconvlucy function of the Image Processing MATLAB toolbox. The BA method was developed heuristically with no proof of convergence. In this paper, we introduce the Heavy-Ball (H-B) method for Poisson data optimization and extend it to a scaled H-B method, which includes the BA method as a special case. The method has proof of the convergence rate of O(k-2), where k is the number of iterations. We demonstrate the superior convergence performance of the scaled H-B method on both synthetic and real 3D images.

Advances in the Design of the Oyster Wave Energy Converter

This short paper, structured in 3 distinct sections will touch on some of the key features of the Oyster wave energy device and its recent development. The first section discusses the nature of the resource in the nearshore environment,
some common misunderstandings in relation to it and its suitability for exploitation of commercial wave energy. In the second section a brief description of some of the fundamentals governing flap type devices is given. This serves to emphasise core differences between the Oyster device and other devices. Despite the simplicity of the design and the operation of the device itself, it is shown that Oyster occupies a theoretical space which is substantially outside most established theories and axioms in wave energy. The third section will give a short summary of the recent developments in the design of the Oyster 2 project and touch on how its enhanced features deal with some of the key commercial and technical challenges present in the sector.

Effects of baited crab pots on cultivated mussel (Mytilus edulis) survival rates

The shore crab, Carcinus maenas, is recognized as a voracious predator of blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, having the potential to greatly reduce stocks in the benthic cultivation industry. As a consequence, baited crab pots are often deployed on and around cultivated benthic mussel beds to trap and remove crabs, in an attempt to reduce predatory pressure. Little is known about how C. maenas behaves around crab pots, but for many other crustacean fisheries, the trapping efficiency of pots is often low. Crabs may be attracted towards but not enter pots, instead feeding on cultivated mussels outside pots on the surrounding substratum. We tested whether the rate of loss of mussels attached to plates differed in areas next to baited pots compared with unbaited pots and to areas without any pots, at two sea loughs (60 km apart) in Northern Ireland. In Strangford Lough, more mussels were lost from plates next to baited pots than the other treatments. In Carlingford Lough, however, we found no difference in the number of mussels lost from plates in any treatment. This difference could be attributed to the different assemblages of mobile benthic predators at the two loughs. The presence of the starfish Asterias rubens, which was absent from experimental sites in Carlingford Lough, was thought to be responsible for increased predation rates near baited pots in Strangford. It is, therefore, important to consider local predator communities when deploying crab pots as a predator mitigation technique to ensure predation rates are in fact reduced and not enhanced. This study is of relevance not only to attempts to limit predation on commercial stocks of benthic cultivated mussels but also in situations where baited traps are deployed close to species vulnerable to mobile benthic predators.

Arenedicarboximide Building Blocks for Fluorescent Photoinduced Electron Transfer pH Sensors Applicable with Different Media and Communication Wavelengths

N-(aminoalkyl)-4-chloronaphthalene-
1,8-dicarboximides 1, N-
(aminoalkyl)-4-acetamidonaphthalene-
1,8-dicarboximides 3 and N,N'-bis(aminoalkyl)-
perylene-3,4:9,10-tetracarboxydiimides
4 show good fluorescent off ±
on switching in aqueous alcoholic solution
with protons as required for fluorescent
PET sensor design. The excitation
wavelengths lie in the ultraviolet
(lmaxˆ345 and 351 nm) for 1 and 3 and
in the blue-green (lmaxˆ528, 492 and
461 nm) for 4; the emission wavelengths
lie in the violet (lmaxˆ408 nm) for 1, in
the blue (lmaxˆ474 nm) for 3 and in the
yellow-orange (lmaxˆ543 and 583 nm)
for 4. Compound 4b shows substantial
fluorescence enhancement with protons
when immobilized in a poly(vinylchloride)
matrix, provided that 2-nitrophenyloctyl
ether plasticizer and potassium
tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl)borate additive
are present to prevent dye crystallization
and to facilitate proton diffusion
into the membrane, respectively.

Undergraduate interprofessional education using high-fidelity paediatric simulation

BACKGROUND: High-fidelity simulation is becoming increasingly important in the delivery of teaching and learning to health care professionals within a safe environment. Its use in an interprofessional context and at undergraduate level has the potential to facilitate the learning of good communication and teamworking, in addition to clinical knowledge and skills.

METHODS: Interprofessional teaching and learning workshops using high-fidelity paediatric simulation were developed and delivered to undergraduate medical and nursing students at Queen's University Belfast. Learning outcomes common to both professions, and essential in the clinical management of sick children, included basic competencies, communication and teamworking skills. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation was undertaken using published questionnaires.

RESULTS: Quantitative results - the 32-item questionnaire was analysed for reliability using spss. Responses were positive for both groups of students across four domains - acquisition of knowledge and skills, communication and teamworking, professional identity and role awareness, and attitudes to shared learning. Qualitative results - thematic content analysis was used to analyse open-ended responses. Students from both groups commented that an interprofessional education (IPE) approach to paediatric simulation improved clinical and practice-based skills, and provided a safe learning environment. Students commented that there should be more interprofessional and simulation learning opportunities.

DISCUSSION: High-fidelity paediatric simulation, used in an interprofessional context, has the potential to meet the requirements of undergraduate medical and nursing curricula. Further research is needed into the long-term benefits for patient care, and its generalisability to other areas within health care teaching and learning.