Nursing Teaching Strategies by Encouraging Students’ Questioning, Argumentation and Explanation

Nursing students need to develop competences in the field of explanation, argumentation and questioning as they are pivotal to foster a relationship with their patients and achieve a greater humanisation of care. The objective of this paper is to analyse the perception of 1st-year nursing students with regard to the humanisation of care provided to patients by encouraging them to discuss real-life episodes. The study is qualitative and content analysis used the students’ questions, explanations and argumentation as core discourses. Among other conclusions, results point towards the importance of promoting activities that encourage the different nursing students’ discourses and the ability to understand the humanisation and dehumanisation patterns arising from the real-life episodes used as case study.

Nurse educators’ perceptions of the way nursing students protect patient privacy

The aim of this study was to assess the teaching-learning process related to patient privacy during the care process and the way nursing students’ protect patient privacy. Descriptive/correlational study using a qualitative approach and nonprobability sampling of 19 nurse educators from two schools of nursing. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was undertaken using the SPSS version 20 and Alceste 2010 programs. The study complied with ethical standards. Two classes were assigned (protection of patient privacy and care process) with four subcategories (protection, empathy, relational competencies and technoscientific competencies).The findings show the need to adopt a reflective approach to the teaching-learning process by using experiential learning activities and real-life activities. We believe that intimacy and the protection of privacy should be core themes of nurse education and training.

Clinical treatment adherence of health care workers and students exposed to potentially infectious biological material

OBJECTIVE To assess adherence to clinical appointments by health care workers (HCW) and students who suffered accidents with potentially infectious biological material. METHOD A retrospective cross-sectional study that assessed clinical records of accidents involving biological material between 2005 and 2010 in a specialized unit. RESULTS A total of 461 individuals exposed to biological material were treated, of which 389 (84.4%) were HCWs and 72 (15.6%) students. Of the 461 exposed individuals, 307 (66.6%) attended a follow-up appointment. Individuals who had suffered an accident with a known source patient were 29 times more likely to show up to their scheduled follow-up appointments (OR: 29.98; CI95%: 16.09-55.83). CONCLUSION The predictor in both univariate and multivariate analyses for adherence to clinical follow-up appointment was having a known source patient with nonreactive serology for the human immunodeficiency virus and/or hepatitis B and C.

Instrument for evaluating care given by undergraduate nursing students to people with wounds

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to present the process of construction and validation of an instrument for evaluating the care provided to people with wounds, to be used with undergraduate nursing students. METHOD Methodological study, with quantitative approach, using the Delphi technique in two rounds, the first with 30 judges and the second with 18. The analysis was made with Kappa coefficient ≥0.80, and content validity index greater than >0.80, also using the Wilcoxon test for comparison of the indices between the rounds. RESULTS It was found that of the 20 categories of the instrument, 18 presented better scores in the second Delphi round. Scores were greater in the second round in seven of the ten evaluation categories. CONCLUSION Based on the evaluation by the judges, a version of the instrument was defined with adequate indices of agreement and validity, which will be able to help in evaluating care of people with cutaneous injury given by undergraduate nursing students.

Assessment of the teaching-learning process in students of the health area: cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the skills and knowledge of undergraduate students in the health area on cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers with the use of an automatic external defibrillator.METHODThe evaluation was performed in three different stages of the teaching-learning process. A theoretical and practical course was taught and the theoretical classes included demonstration. The evaluation was performed in three different stages of the teaching-learning process. Two instruments were applied to evaluate the skills (30-items checklist) and knowledge (40-questions written test). The sample comprised 84 students.RESULTSAfter the theoretical and practical course, an increase was observed in the number of correct answers in the 30-items checklist and 40-questions written test.CONCLUSIONAfter the theoretical class (including demonstration), only one of the 30-items checklist for skills achieved an index ≥ 90% of correct answers. On the other hand, an index of correct answers greater than 90% was achieved in 26 (86.7%) of the 30 items after a practical training simulation, evidencing the importance of this training in the defibrillation procedure.

Interference of genotypes x environments interaction in the genetic control of resistance to Asian rust soybean

The objectives of this work were to identify parents resistant to Asian soybean rust using diallel crosses, obtain information on the genetic control of soybean resistance to the pathogen and verify whether the combining ability estimates interact with the environment (year or time of assessment). The F1 generation was obtained in a greenhouse from crosses between five contrasting parents for the trait resistance to soybean rust, in a complete diallel without reciprocals. Two rust-severity assessments were carried out on individual soybean plants of 25 treatments (parents and F2 and F3 populations) in 2006/2007 and 2007/2008, in an experimental field at Embrapa Soja, Londrina, PR, Brazil. Additive effects predominated in the genetic control of soybean resistance to Asian rust, and the interaction of the segregant populations with the environment, although significant, did not alter the genetic parameter's general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability estimates, indicating that estimates obtained in one year and one assessment can be extrapolated to others. BR01-18437 inbred line is resistant to Asian rust and showed high GCA effects. This line should be used as parent if the objective is the resistance to Phakopsora pachyrhizi.

Selection strategies of segregant soybean populations for resistance to Asian rust

The objective of this work was to identify the best selection strategies for the more promising parental combinations to obtain lines with good resistance to soybean Asian rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi). Two experiments were carried out in the field during the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 growing seasons, to determine the percentage of infected leaf area of individual plants of five parents and their segregant F2 and F3 populations. The data obtained indicates that additive genetic variance predominates in the control of soybean resistance to Asian rust, and that the year and time of assessment do not significantly influence the estimates of the genetic parameters obtained. The narrow-sense heritability (h²r) ranged from 23.12 to 55.83%, and indicates the possibility of successful selection of resistant individuals in the early generations of the breeding program. All the procedures used to select the most promising populations to generate superior inbred lines for resistance to P. pachyrhizi presented similar results and identified the BR01-18437 x BRS 232 population as the best for inbred line selection.

A brief introduction to molecular orbital theory of simple polyatomic molecules for undergraduate chemistry students

A simple, four-step method for better introducing undergraduate students to the fundamentals of molecular orbital (MO) theory of the polyatomic molecules H2O, NH3, BH3 and SiH4 using group theory is reported. These molecules serve to illustrate the concept of ligand group orbitals (LGOs) and subsequent construction of MO energy diagrams on the basis of molecular symmetry requirements.

Models and applications for risk assessment and prediction of Asian soybean rust epidemics

Asian rust of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merril] is one of the most important fungal diseases of this crop worldwide. The recent introduction of Phakopsora pachyrhizi Syd. & P. Syd in the Americas represents a major threat to soybean production in the main growing regions, and significant losses have already been reported. P. pachyrhizi is extremely aggressive under favorable weather conditions, causing rapid plant defoliation. Epidemiological studies, under both controlled and natural environmental conditions, have been done for several decades with the aim of elucidating factors that affect the disease cycle as a basis for disease modeling. The recent spread of Asian soybean rust to major production regions in the world has promoted new development, testing and application of mathematical models to assess the risk and predict the disease. These efforts have included the integration of new data, epidemiological knowledge, statistical methods, and advances in computer simulation to develop models and systems with different spatial and temporal scales, objectives and audience. In this review, we present a comprehensive discussion on the models and systems that have been tested to predict and assess the risk of Asian soybean rust. Limitations, uncertainties and challenges for modelers are also discussed.

Progress of Asian soybean rust and airborne urediniospores of Phakopsora pachyrhizi in southern Brazil

Asian soybean rust, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, was reported at epidemic levels in 2003/2004 and is the main soybean disease in Brazil. The aim of this study was to investigate the spread of Asian soybean rust and to quantify airborne urediniospores in the region of Campo Mourão, Paraná State, Brazil. Three experiments were conducted under field conditions during the 2007/08 and 2008/09 crop seasons. Using the disease gradient method, provided by the application of increasing levels of the fungicide tebuconazole, four Asian soybean rust epidemics at different intensities were obtained in each experiment. To quantify the urediniospores, weathercock-type spore collectors were installed during and between the two crop seasons. Disease progress curves were plotted for each epidemic, and maximum severity was estimated. The curves were fit to the logistic model, which provided higher coefficients of determination and more randomly distributed residuals plotted over time. Analyses of the area under the disease progress curve showed that the largest epidemics occurred in the 2007/2008 crop season and that the progress rates were higher for severity, even among plants protected with the fungicide. The number of urediniospores collected in the air was related to the presence of soybean plants in the cultivated crops. The quantity of urediniospores was also positively correlated to the disease severity and incidence, as well as to cumulative rainfall and favorable days for P. Pachyrhizi infection.

Control of Asian soybean rust with mancozeb, a multi-site fungicide

An experiment conducted in the field the action of mancozeb, a fungicide of multi-site action was tested, to control soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi. Its performance was compared to that of the mixture cyproconazole (DMI) + azoxystrobin (QoI). The soybean cultivar NA 7337 RR was used with a population of 400,000 plants/ha cultivated in 20m2 plots. Treatments consisted of mancozeb levels (1.5 and 2.0 kg/ha) applied four, six and eight times. The DMI + QoI mixture was applied three times at 0.3 L/ha + Nimbus. Rust severity was assessed six times in the plots and data were integrated as the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). The plots were harvested and grain yield was expressed as kg/ha. Data on AUDPC and yield were subjected to analysis of variance and means compared according to Turkey's test (p = 0.005). Treatments with mancozeb were superior to DMI + QoI mixture both for rust control and grain yield. Four applications of 2.0 k/ha mancozeb were more efficient than three applications of the mixture used as standard. Mancozeb has the potential to be added to fungicide mixtures in the establishment of soybean rust anti-resistance strategy.

Critical-point model to estimate yield loss caused by Asian soybean rust

ABSTRACTA model to estimate yield loss caused by Asian soybean rust (ASR) (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) was developed by collecting data from field experiments during the growing seasons 2009/10 and 2010/11, in Passo Fundo, RS. The disease intensity gradient, evaluated in the phenological stages R5.3, R5.4 and R5.5 based on leaflet incidence (LI) and number of uredinium and lesions/cm2, was generated by applying azoxystrobin 60 g a.i/ha + cyproconazole 24 g a.i/ha + 0.5% of the adjuvant Nimbus. The first application occurred when LI = 25% and the remaining ones at 10, 15, 20 and 25-day intervals. Harvest occurred at physiological maturity and was followed by grain drying and cleaning. Regression analysis between the grain yield and the disease intensity assessment criteria generated 56 linear equations of the yield loss function. The greatest loss was observed in the earliest growth stage, and yield loss coefficients ranged from 3.41 to 9.02 kg/ha for each 1% LI for leaflet incidence, from 13.34 to 127.4 kg/ha/1 lesion/cm2 for lesion density and from 5.53 to 110.0 kg/ha/1 uredinium/cm2 for uredinium density.

Factors associated with depressive symptoms in a sample of Brazilian medical students

OBJECTIVES: 1 - Verify the prevalence of depressive symptoms in first to fourth-year medical students using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). 2 - Establish correlations between target factors and higher or lower BDI scores. 3 - Investigate the relationship between the prevalence of depressive symptoms and the demand for psychological care offered by the Centro Universitário Lusíada. METHOD: Cross-sectional study of 290 first to fourth-year medical students; implementation of the BDI, socio-demographic survey, and evaluation of satisfaction with progress. RESULTS: The study sample was 59% female and 41% male. Mean BDI was 6.3 (SD 5.8). Overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 23.1%. The following associations were statistically significant (p<0.05): among students for whom the course failed to meet original expectations, who were dissatisfied with the course, or who came from the interior of the State (20.5%, 12.5%, and 24.4% of the total sample, respectively), for 40%, 36.1% and 36.4%, respectively, the BDI was consistent with some degree of depression. CONCLUSION: The study showed that there is higher prevalence of depressive symptoms in medical students than in the general population

Group mentoring for junior medical students: perceptions of mentees and mentors

Entering medical school can be associated with a number of difficulties that can hinder students' performance. Mentoring programs are designed to help students circumvent difficulties and improve their learning and personal development. The current study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of both students and mentors regarding a recently introduced, group-based mentoring program designed to support first-year students. After one year of regular meetings, students and mentors' perceptions of the program were assessed by means of structured questionnaires. Response content categories were identified through multiple readings. Both regular attendees and non-participating students had positive opinions about the program. Mentors were highly satisfied at having participated and acknowledged that the program has been useful not only for assisting students, but also for fostering their own personal and professional development. In conclusion, the group-based mentoring program is feasible and can elicit positive views from both mentors and students. In addition, faculty members' participation as mentors can also be beneficial, since the program appears to contribute to their own personal and professional development

Knowledge of common pediatric cancers among medical students in northeast Brazil

BACKGROUND: In recent decades, early diagnosis of childhood cancer has taken an important place on the international agenda. The authors of this study evaluated a group of medical students in Recife, Brazil, regarding knowledge and practices related to early diagnosis of common childhood cancers. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with a sample of 82 medical students, from a total of 86 eligible subjects. Data were collected using self-completed questionnaires. Subgroups were defined according to knowledge of the theme and students' perceptions of their own skills and interest in learning. RESULTS: 74.4% of the sample demonstrated a minimum level of knowledge. The group without minimum knowledge or self-perceived competence to identify suspected cases (23.3%) was in the worst position to perform early diagnosis. All subjects expressed interest in learning more about this topic. CONCLUSIONS: Despite acceptable levels of knowledge among these medical students, the definition of central aspects of the teaching and learning processes would be useful for training physicians with the skills for diagnosing and treating pediatric cancers