From teaching clinician to research academic- changing focus within UK nurse education; a discussion paper

The focus of this discussion paper is the need for effective professional socialisation of student nurses and the degree to which core values and culture are transferred through University schools of nursing, the academic teaching staff and to the student nurses.
UK schools of nursing had progressively transferred into university institutions more than two decades ago. Schools of nursing and the teaching academics within them, to a greater or lesser extent, impact on and help to professionally socialize student nurses. Professed core values of universities whilst including a focus on excellence and innovation, perhaps also include, collegiality, integrity and social commitment to care. These are all qualities, which should be core values and elements
of the transferable professional culture to student nurses. Notwithstanding the professed core values, at least in some areas of UK universities there is some evidence of increasing competition and a disproportionate research market driven focus. This can reflect back into schools of nursing and is inconsistent with nursing professional values.

This paper explores the degree to which the professed core values of universities and the institutional culture are necessarily enacted, and the degree to which
any dissonance in the institutions professed/enacted core values and culture reflect through the schools of nursing and impact in the professional socialisation of student nurses. The paper also explores the degree to which effective leadership in schools of nursing can help to maintain professional core values and a culture of nursing professional

Mathematical methods for the configuration of transportation systems with a focus on continuous and modular matrix conveyors

The lack of flexibility in logistic systems currently on the market leads to the development of new innovative transportation systems. In order to find the optimal configuration of such a system depending on the current goal functions, for example minimization of transport times and maximization of the throughput, various mathematical methods of multi-criteria optimization are applicable. In this work, the concept of a complex transportation system is presented. Furthermore, the question of finding the optimal configuration of such a system through mathematical methods of optimization is considered.

Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Focus on Etiology

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) caused by reactivation of the JC virus (JCV), a human polyomavirus, occurs in autoimmune disorders, most frequently in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We describe a HIV-negative 34-year-old female with SLE who had been treated with immunosuppressant therapy (IST; steroids and azathioprine) since 2004. In 2011, she developed decreased sensation and weakness of the right hand, followed by vertigo and gait instability. The diagnosis of PML was made on the basis of brain MRI findings (posterior fossa lesions) and JCV isolation from the cerebrospinal fluid (700 copies/ml). IST was immediately discontinued. Cidofovir, mirtazapine, mefloquine and cycles of cytarabine were sequentially added, but there was progressive deterioration with a fatal outcome 1 year after disease onset. This report discusses current therapeutic choices for PML and the importance of early infection screening when SLE patients present with neurological symptoms. In the light of recent reports of PML in SLE patients treated with rituximab or belimumab, we highlight that other IST may just as well be implicated. We conclude that severe lymphopenia was most likely responsible for JCV reactivation in this patient and discuss how effective management of lymphopenia in SLE and PML therapy remains an unmet need.

A Systematic Review of Entrepreneurship Education Literature in Nigeria: Where is the Focus of Research?

Purpose- Entrepreneurship education (EEd) plays a crucial role in the development of entrepreneurs and the enhancement of entrepreneurial activities in every economy. This paper examined what Higher education Institutions (HEIs) do in learning and teaching of entrepreneurship in general and how entrepreneurship development takes place in Nigerian HEIs. The outcome from this study will enable a deeper understanding on what HEIs do EEd, with more exposure as to what the areas and focus of research is in the Nigerian context. Design/methodology/approach- The study adopted a systematic literature review approach- drawing from a computerized search of five selected data bases, using predetermined key words by the researchers. Findings: The main finding of this paper is that, related concepts like skills, intention, drive and attitude have been use in expounding discussions on the outcome of EEd, but very little has been written on entrepreneurial mind-set (EMS), of which other studies have suggested that it’s a crucial point in the journey of an entrepreneurs (Reed & Stoltz, 2011; Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), 2012; Neneh, 2012). Furthermore, learning and teaching of entrepreneurship in Nigerian HEIs seems to be more on creating awareness (about entrepreneurship) than actual preparation for entrepreneurship (For entrepreneurship). Research limitations/implications- The paper is limited since it is based on a review of literature from a selected databases- covering a specific time span. This potentially excludes other studies outside this time span. A more comprehensive overview of these contributions would benefit from employing tools such as Google Scholar, for an overview of the sub–domains online. Originality/value – There are limited studies that focus on the issue of entrepreneurial mind-set in entrepreneurship education in Africa, specifically Nigeria. This paper and its focus in particular, have laid down pioneering ground work for research on entrepreneurial mind-set development in Nigerian entrepreneurship education.

Characterization of the glial scar tissue in a murine model of spinal cord compression, with focus on hyaluronan

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological disorder that affects thousands of people each year. Although in recent decades significant progress has been made in relation to understanding the molecular and cellular events underlying the nervous damage, spinal cord injury is still a highly disabling condition for which there is no curative therapy. People affected by spinal cord injuries manifested dysfunction or loss, temporary or permanent, of motor, sensory and / or autonomic functions depending on the spinal lesion damaged. Currently, the incidence rate of this type of injury is approximately 15-40 cases per million people worldwide. At the origin of these lesions are: road accidents, falls, interpersonal violence and the practice of sports. In this work we placed the hypothesis that HA is one of the component of the scar tissue formed after a compressive SCI, that it is likely synthetised by the perilesional glial cells and that it might support the permeation of the glial scar during the late phase of SCI. Nowadays, much focus is drawn on the recovery of CNS function, made impossible after SCI due to the high content of sulfated proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix. Counterbalancing the ratio between these proteoglycans and hyaluronic acid could be one of the experimental therapy to re-permeate the glial scar tissue formed after SCI, making possible axonal regrowth and functional recovery. Therefore, we established a model of spinal cord compression in mice and studied the glial scar tissue, particularly through the characterization of the expression of enzymes related to the metabolism of HA and the subsequent concentration thereof at different distances of the lesion epicenter. Our results show that the lesion induced in mice shows results similar to those produced in human lesions, in terms of histologic similarities and behavioral results. but these animals demonstrate an impressive spontaneous reorganization mechanism of the spinal cord tissue that occurs after injury and allows for partial recovery of the functions of the CNS. As regards the study of the glial scar, changes were recorded at the level of mRNA expression of enzymes metabolizing HA i.e., after injury there was a decreased expression of HA synthases 1-2 (HAS 1-2) and an increase of the expression HAS3 synthase mRNA, as well as the enzymes responsible for the HA catabolism, HYAL 1-2. But the amount of HA measured through the ELISA test was found unchanged after injury, it is not possible to explain this fact only with the change of expression of enzymes. At two weeks and in response to SCI, we found synthesized HA by reactive astrocytes and probably by others like microglial cells as it was advanced by the HA/GFAP+ and HA/IBA1+ cells co-location.

Consumer Focus: Getting Static about Your Satellite or Cable TV Complaint?, November 2016

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receives hundreds of calls and consumer complaints every year. Follow these tips to avoid unexpected expense and disappointments. This record is about: New Credit and Debit Card Chips

Returns to shareholder activism: Evidence from a clinical study of the hermes UK focus fund

This article reports a unique analysis of private engagements by an activist fund. It is based on data made available to us by Hermes, the fund manager owned by the British Telecom Pension Scheme, on engagements with management in companies targeted by its UK Focus Fund. In contrast with most previous studies of activism, we report that the fund executes shareholder activism predominantly through private interventions that would be unobservable in studies purely relying on public information. The fund substantially outperforms benchmarks and we estimate that abnormal returns are largely associated with engagements rather than stock picking. © The Author 2008.

Perspective of nurses involved in an action-research study on the changes observed in care provision: results from a focus group

Background According to the Nursing Role Effectiveness Model, the structural components (nurses, patients, organizational variables) may directly BMC Health Services Research 2016, Volume 16 Suppl 3 Page 41 of 132 or indirectly influence the care outcomes through the process (actions developed by the nurses). Objectives: To identify the changes that, from the nurses' perspective, occurred during the provision of care to patients with peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) between the first and the second phase of the Action-Research (AR) study, and the components that influenced these changes. Methods During the second phase of the AR study (December, 2011), a focus group composed of six nurses was held at a medicine unit of a central hospital. A script was used with six open-ended questions. All ethical procedures were followed. Results Positive changes in nursing care provision to patients with PVCs were identified related to the type of dressing used, patient monitoring, aseptic care, and infusion rate. The nurses believed that some variables of the organizational component influenced those changes, such as the centralization of the material used for catheterization or the availability of materials, such as transparent dressings. The nurses also valued the following aspects: knowledge of the research findings of the first phase; training sessions on the topic; and, above all, the nurses' engagement throughout the process of change in care provision. Conclusions Considering the model of analysis used, we found that the changes identified in nursing care resulted from several factors, with the engagement of the professionals themselves in the change process being considered a key aspect.