Focusing on patients : differences between the practice of expert and non-expert nephrology nurses

Specialisation in nursing enables a nurse to focus, in much greater depth, on the requisite knowledge and skills for providing patients with the best possible care. Nephrology nursing is one such area where specialisation has evolved. The characteristic focus of practice emerged as an important feature during a study into the process of expertise acquisition in nephrology nursing practice. Using grounded theory methodology, this study involved 6 non-expert and 11 expert nurses and took place in one renal unit in New South Wales. Nephrology nursing practice was observed for 103 hours, and this was immediately followed by semi-structured interviews. The characteristic of focus was conceptualised as the nurses' centre of attention or concentration while they were undertaking nursing activities. Focus ranged from inexperienced non-expert nurses concentrating predominantly on the immediate task at hand, experienced non-expert nurses who focussed on the medium term to expert nurses who viewed actions (and their possible consequences) more broadly and in the longer term. Of significance to nursing, is how nephrology nurses alter their focus of practice as they acquire and exercise their developing expertise in this specialty.

The constraints-based approach to motor learning : Implications for a non-linear pedagogy in sport and physical education

Recently, a constraints- led approach has been promoted as a framework for understanding how children and adults acquire movement skills for sport and exercise (see Davids, Button & Bennett, 2008; Araújo et al., 2004). The aim of a constraints- led approach is to identify the nature of interacting constraints that influence skill acquisition in learners. In this chapter the main theoretical ideas behind a constraints- led approach are outlined to assist practical applications by sports practitioners and physical educators in a non- linear pedagogy (see Chow et al., 2006, 2007). To achieve this goal, this chapter examines implications for some of the typical challenges facing sport pedagogists and physical educators in the design of learning programmes.

Reaction to the mandatory write-down provisions of AASB 1010 : accounting for the revaluation of non-current assets

Commentators in the financial press claimed that the amendments to AASB 1010, Accounting for the Revaluation of Non-Current Assets, issued in September 1991, would have “disastrous” implications for the accounts of companies. This paper is concerned with whether the amendments did indeed affect asset write-down activities. An analysis of write-down practices of 75 Australian companies before and after the amendments were operative suggests that the commentators' judgment could have been hasty.

Uncovering the evidence of non-expert nephrology nursing practice

Expertise in nursing has been widely studied although there have been no previous studies into what constitutes expertise in nephrology (renal) nursing. This paper, which is abstracted from a larger study into the acquisition and exercise of nephrology nursing expertise, provides evidence of the characteristics and practices of non-expert nephrology nurses. Using the grounded theory method, the study took place in one renal unit in New South Wales, Australia, and involved six non-expert and 11 expert nurses. Sampling was purposive then theoretical. Simultaneous data collection and analysis using participant observation, review of nursing documentation and semistructured interviews was undertaken. The study revealed a three-stage skills-acquisitive process that was identified as non-expert, experienced non-expert and expert stages. Non-expert nurses showed superficial nephrology nursing knowledge and limited experience; they were acquiring basic nephrology nursing skills and possessed a narrow focus of practice.

An indication that non-informative vision eliminates the Kinaesthetic Fusion Effect

This study investigated the Kinaesthetic Fusion Effect (KFE) first described by Craske and Kenny in 1981. The current study did not replicate these findings. Participants did not perceive any reduction in the sagittal separation of a button pressed by the index finger of one arm and a probe touching the other, following repeated exposure to the tactile stimuli present on both unseen arms. This study’s failure to replicate the widely-cited KFE as described by Craske et al. (1984) suggests that it may be contingent on several aspects of visual information, especially the availability of a specific visual reference, the role of instructions regarding gaze direction, and the potential use of a line of sight strategy when referring felt positions to an interposed surface. In addition, a foreshortening effect was found; this may result from a line-of-sight judgment and represent a feature of the reporting method used. The transformed line of sight data were regressed against the participant reported values, resulting in a slope of 1.14 (right arm) and 1.11 (left arm), and r > 0.997 for each. The study also provides additional evidence that mis-perceptions of the mediolateral position of the limbs specifically their separation and consistent with notions of Gestalt grouping, is somewhat labile and can be influenced by active motions causing touch of one limb by the other. Finally, this research will benefit future studies that require participants to report the perceived locations of the unseen limbs.

Learning the kernel matrix with semidefinite programming

Kernel-based learning algorithms work by embedding the data into a Euclidean space, and then searching for linear relations among the embedded data points. The embedding is performed implicitly, by specifying the inner products between each pair of points in the embedding space. This information is contained in the so-called kernel matrix, a symmetric and positive semidefinite matrix that encodes the relative positions of all points. Specifying this matrix amounts to specifying the geometry of the embedding space and inducing a notion of similarity in the input space - classical model selection problems in machine learning. In this paper we show how the kernel matrix can be learned from data via semidefinite programming (SDP) techniques. When applied to a kernel matrix associated with both training and test data this gives a powerful transductive algorithm -using the labeled part of the data one can learn an embedding also for the unlabeled part. The similarity between test points is inferred from training points and their labels. Importantly, these learning problems are convex, so we obtain a method for learning both the model class and the function without local minima. Furthermore, this approach leads directly to a convex method for learning the 2-norm soft margin parameter in support vector machines, solving an important open problem.

Learning the Kernel Matrix with Semi-Definite Programming

Kernel-based learning algorithms work by embedding the data into a Euclidean space, and then searching for linear relations among the embedded data points. The embedding is performed implicitly, by specifying the inner products between each pair of points in the embedding space. This information is contained in the so-called kernel matrix, a symmetric and positive definite matrix that encodes the relative positions of all points. Specifying this matrix amounts to specifying the geometry of the embedding space and inducing a notion of similarity in the input space -- classical model selection problems in machine learning. In this paper we show how the kernel matrix can be learned from data via semi-definite programming (SDP) techniques. When applied to a kernel matrix associated with both training and test data this gives a powerful transductive algorithm -- using the labelled part of the data one can learn an embedding also for the unlabelled part. The similarity between test points is inferred from training points and their labels. Importantly, these learning problems are convex, so we obtain a method for learning both the model class and the function without local minima. Furthermore, this approach leads directly to a convex method to learn the 2-norm soft margin parameter in support vector machines, solving another important open problem. Finally, the novel approach presented in the paper is supported by positive empirical results.

Natural convection from a plane vertical porous surface in non-isothermal surroundings

In this paper, laminar natural convection flow from a permeable and isothermal vertical surface placed in non-isothermal surroundings is considered. Introducing appropriate transformations into the boundary layer equations governing the flow derives non-similar boundary layer equations. Results of both the analytical and numerical solutions are then presented in the form of skin-friction and Nusselt number. Numerical solutions of the transformed non-similar boundary layer equations are obtained by three distinct solution methods, (i) the perturbation solutions for small � (ii) the asymptotic solution for large � (iii) the implicit finite difference method for all � where � is the transpiration parameter. Perturbation solutions for small and large values of � are compared with the finite difference solutions for different values of pertinent parameters, namely, the Prandtl number Pr, and the ambient temperature gradient n.

Evaluation of texture and geometry for dimensional facial expression recognition

Facial expression recognition (FER) algorithms mainly focus on classification into a small discrete set of emotions or representation of emotions using facial action units (AUs). Dimensional representation of emotions as continuous values in an arousal-valence space is relatively less investigated. It is not fully known whether fusion of geometric and texture features will result in better dimensional representation of spontaneous emotions. Moreover, the performance of many previously proposed approaches to dimensional representation has not been evaluated thoroughly on publicly available databases. To address these limitations, this paper presents an evaluation framework for dimensional representation of spontaneous facial expressions using texture and geometric features. SIFT, Gabor and LBP features are extracted around facial fiducial points and fused with FAP distance features. The CFS algorithm is adopted for discriminative texture feature selection. Experimental results evaluated on the publicly accessible NVIE database demonstrate that fusion of texture and geometry does not lead to a much better performance than using texture alone, but does result in a significant performance improvement over geometry alone. LBP features perform the best when fused with geometric features. Distributions of arousal and valence for different emotions obtained via the feature extraction process are compared with those obtained from subjective ground truth values assigned by viewers. Predicted valence is found to have a more similar distribution to ground truth than arousal in terms of covariance or Bhattacharya distance, but it shows a greater distance between the means.

Large-Eddy Simulation of physiological pulsatile non-newtonian flow in a channel with double constriction

Physiological pulsatile flow in a 3D model of arterial double stenosis, using the modified Power-law blood viscosity model, is investigated by applying Large Eddy Simulation (LES) technique. The computational domain has been chosen is a simple channel with biological type stenoses. The physiological pulsation is generated at the inlet of the model using the first four harmonics of the Fourier series of the physiological pressure pulse. In LES, a top-hat spatial grid-filter is applied to the Navier-Stokes equations of motion to separate the large scale flows from the subgrid scale (SGS). The large scale flows are then resolved fully while the unresolved SGS motions are modelled using the localized dynamic model. The flow Reynolds numbers which are typical of those found in human large artery are chosen in the present work. Transitions to turbulent of the pulsatile non-Newtonian along with Newtonian flow in the post stenosis are examined through the mean velocity, wall shear stress, mean streamlines as well as turbulent kinetic energy and explained physically along with the relevant medical concerns.

The impact of temperature on mortality in Tianjin, China : a case-crossover design with a distributed lag non-linear model

Background There has been increasing interest in assessing the impacts of temperature on mortality. However, few studies have used a case–crossover design to examine non-linear and distributed lag effects of temperature on mortality. Additionally, little evidence is available on the temperature-mortality relationship in China, or what temperature measure is the best predictor of mortality. Objectives To use a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) as a part of case–crossover design. To examine the non-linear and distributed lag effects of temperature on mortality in Tianjin, China. To explore which temperature measure is the best predictor of mortality; Methods: The DLNM was applied to a case¬−crossover design to assess the non-linear and delayed effects of temperatures (maximum, mean and minimum) on deaths (non-accidental, cardiopulmonary, cardiovascular and respiratory). Results A U-shaped relationship was consistently found between temperature and mortality. Cold effects (significantly increased mortality associated with low temperatures) were delayed by 3 days, and persisted for 10 days. Hot effects (significantly increased mortality associated with high temperatures) were acute and lasted for three days, and were followed by mortality displacement for non-accidental, cardiopulmonary, and cardiovascular deaths. Mean temperature was a better predictor of mortality (based on model fit) than maximum or minimum temperature. Conclusions In Tianjin, extreme cold and hot temperatures increased the risk of mortality. Results suggest that the effects of cold last longer than the effects of heat. It is possible to combine the case−crossover design with DLNMs. This allows the case−crossover design to flexibly estimate the non-linear and delayed effects of temperature (or air pollution) whilst controlling for season.