Critical thinking and accuracy of nurses' diagnoses. Part II: application of cognitive skills and guidelines for self-development

Part I of this article, the author explained the difficulties of achieving accuracy of nurses' diagnoses, the relevance of critical thinking to the achievement of accuracy, and newer views of critical thinking. In Part II, the critical thinking dimensions identified as important for nursing practice are applied in the diagnostic process using a case study of a 16 year old girl with type 1 diabetes. Application of seven cognitive skills and ten habits of mind illustrate the importance of using critical thinking for accuracy of nurses' diagnoses. Ten strategies are proposed for self-development of critical thinking abilities.

DEL FESTIVAL A LA ACADEMIA. Informe sobre la institucionalización de una disciplina híbrida (arte digital)

Aquest document és un esborrany. Amb l'objectiu d'aprofundir en el procés d'institucionalització, vam dissenyar una investigació empírica que permetés visualitzar les tendències discursives i àmbits d'activitats de les pràctiques relacionades amb les interseccions entre l'art, la ciència i la tecnologia. La metodologia va consistir en la implementació de tres bases de dades que recullen l'activitat dels últims anys en relació a: 1) els congressos (i festivals associats) realitzats a nivell internacional 2) les publicacions acadèmiques i divulgatives centrades en aquest àmbit interdisciplinar 3) els programes acadèmics.

Les traduccions de Carles Riba i Marià Manent al Corpus Literari Digital

Els objectius del projecte “Les traduccions de Carles Riba i Marià Manent al Corpus Literari Digital” són diversos: d’una banda, digitalitzar totes les edicions originals de les traduccions publicades per Carles Riba i Marià Manent; d’altra banda, fer un inventari de tots els textos continguts en aquestes traduccions (de poesia, de narrativa i de teatre); i finalment, introduir els registres dins la plataforma del Corpus Literari Digital de la Càtedra Màrius Torres. La digitalització ha permès de preservar digitalment el patrimoni literari constituït per aquestes traduccions de dos dels autors i traductors més importants de la literatura catalana del segle XX. L’inventari dels textos de cadascun dels seus volums de traduccions (poemes, narracions i obres de teatre) ha permès de constituir una base de dades en la qual es registren totes les versions diferents de cadascun dels textos traduïts que Riba i Manent van anar revisant al llarg de la seva vida. Finalment, la inclusió d’aquests registres bibliogràfics dins la plataforma del Corpus Literari Digital de la Càtedra Màrius Torres permet la seva consulta en línia i la possibilitat de trobar, per a cada text, totes les seves versions i de visualitzar la imatge del document original, la qual cosa facilitarà als investigadors l’estudi de la història textual de les traduccions, la de l’evolució de la llengua literària dels autors, entre altres possibilitats.

Image quality assessment in digital mammography: part I. Technical characterization of the systems.

In many European countries, image quality for digital x-ray systems used in screening mammography is currently specified using a threshold-detail detectability method. This is a two-part study that proposes an alternative method based on calculated detectability for a model observer: the first part of the work presents a characterization of the systems. Eleven digital mammography systems were included in the study; four computed radiography (CR) systems, and a group of seven digital radiography (DR) detectors, composed of three amorphous selenium-based detectors, three caesium iodide scintillator systems and a silicon wafer-based photon counting system. The technical parameters assessed included the system response curve, detector uniformity error, pre-sampling modulation transfer function (MTF), normalized noise power spectrum (NNPS) and detective quantum efficiency (DQE). Approximate quantum noise limited exposure range was examined using a separation of noise sources based upon standard deviation. Noise separation showed that electronic noise was the dominant noise at low detector air kerma for three systems; the remaining systems showed quantum noise limited behaviour between 12.5 and 380 µGy. Greater variation in detector MTF was found for the DR group compared to the CR systems; MTF at 5 mm(-1) varied from 0.08 to 0.23 for the CR detectors against a range of 0.16-0.64 for the DR units. The needle CR detector had a higher MTF, lower NNPS and higher DQE at 5 mm(-1) than the powder CR phosphors. DQE at 5 mm(-1) ranged from 0.02 to 0.20 for the CR systems, while DQE at 5 mm(-1) for the DR group ranged from 0.04 to 0.41, indicating higher DQE for the DR detectors and needle CR system than for the powder CR phosphor systems. The technical evaluation section of the study showed that the digital mammography systems were well set up and exhibiting typical performance for the detector technology employed in the respective systems.

Activismo digital y social como innovación metodológica universitària

En la actualidad son numerosos los medios de interacción personal individual o entre organizaciones. La oferta de plataformas es prácticamente incontable y la oferta de contenidos es prácticamente infinita. La experiencia que presentamos pretende que los estudiantes universitarios tengan una experiencia de comunicación mediante las nuevas tecnologías con la finalidad de poder generar un trabajo colaborativo que posibilite, en parte, el cambio social.

Is there an advantage to be gained from adding digital image cytometry of brush cytology to a standard biopsy protocol in patients with Barrett's esophagus?

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The current gold standard in Barrett's esophagus monitoring consists of four-quadrant biopsies every 1-2 cm in accordance with the Seattle protocol. Adding brush cytology processed by digital image cytometry (DICM) may further increase the detection of patients with Barrett's esophagus who are at risk of neoplasia. The aim of the present study was to assess the additional diagnostic value and accuracy of DICM when added to the standard histological analysis in a cross-sectional multicenter study of patients with Barrett's esophagus in Switzerland. METHODS: One hundred sixty-four patients with Barrett's esophagus underwent 239 endoscopies with biopsy and brush cytology. DICM was carried out on 239 cytology specimens. Measures of the test accuracy of DICM (relative risk, sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios) were obtained by dichotomizing the histopathology results (high-grade dysplasia or adenocarcinoma vs. all others) and DICM results (aneuploidy/intermediate pattern vs. diploidy). RESULTS: DICM revealed diploidy in 83% of 239 endoscopies, an intermediate pattern in 8.8%, and aneuploidy in 8.4%. An intermediate DICM result carried a relative risk (RR) of 12 and aneuploidy a RR of 27 for high-grade dysplasia/adenocarcinoma. Adding DICM to the standard biopsy protocol, a pathological cytometry result (aneuploid or intermediate) was found in 25 of 239 endoscopies (11%; 18 patients) with low-risk histology (no high-grade dysplasia or adenocarcinoma). During follow-up of 14 of these 18 patients, histological deterioration was seen in 3 (21%). CONCLUSION: DICM from brush cytology may add important information to a standard biopsy protocol by identifying a subgroup of BE-patients with high-risk cellular abnormalities.

A semantic model of selective dissemination of information for digital libraries

In this paper we present the theoretical and methodologicalfoundations for the development of a multi-agentSelective Dissemination of Information (SDI) servicemodel that applies Semantic Web technologies for specializeddigital libraries. These technologies make possibleachieving more efficient information management,improving agent–user communication processes, andfacilitating accurate access to relevant resources. Othertools used are fuzzy linguistic modelling techniques(which make possible easing the interaction betweenusers and system) and natural language processing(NLP) techniques for semiautomatic thesaurus generation.Also, RSS feeds are used as “current awareness bulletins”to generate personalized bibliographic alerts.

The migration towards Digital Terrestrial Television: challenges for public policy and public broadcasters

This paper initially identifies the main transformations of the television system that are caused by digitalization. Its development in several broadcasting platforms is analyzed as well as the particular obstacles and requirements that are detected for each of them. Due to its technical characteristics and its historical link to the public services, the terrestrial network requires migration strategies different from those strictly commercial, and public intervention might be needed. The paper focuses on such migration strategies towards DTT and identifies the main issues for public intervention in the areas of the digital scenario: technology, business and market transformation and the reception field. Moreover, it describes and classifies the challenges that public broadcasters should confront due to digitalization. This paper finally concludes that the leadership of the public broadcasters during the migration towards DTT is an interesting tool for public policy. The need for foster the digitalization of the terrestrial platform and to achieve certain social and public goal besides the market interest brings an opportunity for public institutions and public broadcasters to work together. That leading role could also be positive for the public service to face its necessary redefinition and reallocation within the digital context.

Communication skills training in oncology: a position paper based on a consensus meeting among European experts in 2009.

BACKGROUND: Communication in cancer care has become a major topic of interest. Since there is evidence that ineffective communication affects both patients and oncology clinicians (physicians and nurses), so-called communication skills trainings (CSTs) have been developed over the last decade. While these trainings have been demonstrated to be effective, there is an important heterogeneity with regard to implementation and with regard to evidence of different aspects of CST. METHODS: In order to review and discuss the scientific literature on CST in oncology and to formulate recommendations, the Swiss Cancer League has organised a consensus meeting with European opinion leaders and experts in the field of CST, as well as oncology clinicians, representatives of oncology societies and patient organisations. On the basis of a systematic review and a meta-analysis, recommendations have been developed and agreed upon. RESULTS: Recommendations address (i) the setting, objectives and participants of CST, (ii) its content and pedagogic tools, (iii) organisational aspects, (iv) outcome and (v) future directions and research. CONCLUSION: This consensus meeting, on the basis of European expert opinions and a systematic review and meta-analysis, defines key elements for the current provision and future development and evaluation of CST in oncology.

Self-Development of Competences for Social Inclusion Using the TENCompetence Infrastructure

This paper describes a pilot study centred on the technology-enhanced self-development of competences in lifelong learning education carried out in the challenging context of the Association of Participants Àgora. The pilot study shows that the use of the TENCompetence infrastructure, i.e. in this case the Personal Development Planner tool, provides various kinds of benefits for adult participants with low educational profiles and who are traditionally excluded from the use of innovative learning technologies and the knowledge society. The selforganized training supported by the PDP tool aims at allowing the learners to create and control their own learning plans based on their interests and educational background including informal and non-formal experiences. In this sense, the pilot participants had the opportunity to develop and improve their competences in English language (basic and advanced levels) and ICT competence profiles which are mostly related to functional and communicative skills. Besides, the use of the PDP functionalities, such as the self-assessment, the planning and the self-regulating elements allowed the participants to develop reflective skills. Pilot results also provide indications for future developments in the field of technology support for self-organized learners. The paper introduces the context and the pilot scenario, indicates the evaluation methodology applied and discusses the most significant findings derived from the pilot study.

Quantifying urban attractiveness from the distribution and density of digital footprints

In the past, sensors networks in cities have been limited to fixed sensors, embedded in particular locations, under centralised control. Today, new applications can leverage wireless devices and use them as sensors to create aggregated information. In this paper, we show that the emerging patterns unveiled through the analysis of large sets of aggregated digital footprints can provide novel insights into how people experience the city and into some of the drivers behind these emerging patterns. We particularly explore the capacity to quantify the evolution of the attractiveness of urban space with a case study of in the area of the New York City Waterfalls, a public art project of four man-made waterfalls rising from the New York Harbor. Methods to study the impact of an event of this nature are traditionally based on the collection of static information such as surveys and ticket-based people counts, which allow to generate estimates about visitors’ presence in specific areas over time. In contrast, our contribution makes use of the dynamic data that visitors generate, such as the density and distribution of aggregate phone calls and photos taken in different areas of interest and over time. Our analysis provides novel ways to quantify the impact of a public event on the distribution of visitors and on the evolution of the attractiveness of the points of interest in proximity. This information has potential uses for local authorities, researchers, as well as service providers such as mobile network operators.

Coupling digital and physical worlds in an AR magic show performance: lessons learned

“Magic for a Pixeloscope” is a one hour show conceived to berepresented in a theater scenario that merges mixed and augmented reality (MR/AR) and full-body interaction with classical magic to create new tricks. The show was conceived by an interdisciplinary team composed by a magician, twointeraction designers, a theater director and a stage designer. Themagician uses custom based hardware and software to createnew illusions which are a starting point to explore new languagefor magical expression. In this paper we introduce a conceptualframework used to inform the design of different tricks; weexplore the design and production of some tricks included in theshow and we describe the feedback received on the world premiere and some of the conclusions obtained.

Government and the distribution of skills

Individuals' life chances in the future will very much depend on how we invest in our children now. An optimal human capital model would combine a high mean with minimal variance of skills. It is well-established that early childhood learning is key to adult success. The impact of social origins on child outcomes remains strong, and the new role of women poses additional challenges to our conventional nurturing approach to child development. This paper focuses on skill development in the early years, examining how we might best combine family inputs and public policy to invest optimally in our future human capital. I emphasize three issues: one, the uneven capacity of parents to invest in children; two, the impact of mothers' employment on child outcomes; and three, the potential benefits of early pre-school programmes. I conclude that mothers' intra-family bargaining power is decisive for family investments and that universal child care is key if our goal is to arrive at a strong mean with minimal variance.

O fotojornalismo depois da fotografia: Modelos de configuração da cadeia produtiva do fotojornalismo em tempos de convergência digital

This research report concerns about the post-doctoral activities, conducted betweenSeptember 2010 and March 2011 at the University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. It comes to identify the consequences of the convergence phenomenon on photojournalism.Thus, in a more general approach, the effort is to to recovery the structural elements of the convergence concept in journalism. It aims to map, as well, the current debates about the repositioning of photographic practices linked to the news produced in a widespread adoption of digital devices in contemporary workflow. It is also specified,the analysis of photographic collectives as a result of the convergence frameworkapplied to photojournalism; the debate on ways of funding; alternatives facing thealleged crisis of press photography and, finally, proposes to create qualifying stages ofdevelopment of photojournalism in the digital age as well as the proposition of hypotheses concerning the structure of the productive routines. In addition, we present three cases to be analyzed in order to explore and verify the occurrence ofcharacteristics that may identify the object of research in the state of practice. Finally,we work in a series of conclusions, revisiting the main hypotheses. With this strategy, ispossible to define an sequence of analysis capable of addressing the characteristics present in the studied cases and other ones in future, thus, be able to affirm this stage as a step, in the continuous historical course of photojournalism.

Fluência digital e uso de ambientes virtuais: caracterização de alunos de enfermagem

O objetivo do estudo foi caracterizar o perfil de licenciandos de enfermagem, identificar a fluência digital, o conhecimento, a habilidade e o interesse no uso de ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem. Trata-se de uma pesquisa quantitativa, exploratório-descritiva realizada com 51 licenciandos de enfermagem por meio de questionário. Dos participantes do estudo 51 (100%) afirmam ter conhecimento em informática, sendo que 26 (49%) indicam um nível intermediário; 47 (92%) fazem uso diário da Internet; 51 (100%) navegam em redes sociais e possuem e-mail; 51(100%) utilizam MSN e 32 (62,7%) Skype; 41 (82%) acessam Chats, 33 (64,7%) Fóruns de discussão e 22 (43%) Blogs; 33 (64,7%) utilizam frequentemente o Moodle e 26 (51%) o COL; e a grande maioria (45- 88,2%) relatou interesse no uso de ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem. Os alunos foram considerados fluentes digitais e apresentaram conhecimento, habilidade e expressivo interesse no uso de ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem em sua formação acadêmica.