Determinants in the development of advanced nursing practice: a case study of primary-care settings in Hong Kong

Different factors have been shown to influence the development of models of advanced nursing practice (ANP) in primary-care settings. Although ANP is being developed in hospitals in Hong Kong, China, it remains undeveloped in primary care and little is known about the factors determining the development of such a model. The aims of the present study were to investigate the contribution of different models of nursing practice to the care provided in primary-care settings in Hong Kong, and to examine the determinants influencing the development of a model of ANP in such settings. A multiple case study design was selected using both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. Sampling methods reflected the population groups and stage of the case study. Sampling included a total population of 41 nurses from whom a secondary volunteer sample was drawn for face-to-face interviews. In each case study, a convenience sample of 70 patients were recruited, from whom 10 were selected purposively for a semi-structured telephone interview. An opportunistic sample of healthcare professionals was also selected. The within-case and cross-case analysis demonstrated four major determinants influencing the development of ANP: (1) current models of nursing practice; (2) the use of skills mix; (3) the perceived contribution of ANP to patient care; and (4) patients' expectations of care. The level of autonomy of individual nurses was considered particularly important. These determinants were used to develop a model of ANP for a primary-care setting. In conclusion, although the findings highlight the complexity determining the development and implementation of ANP in primary care, the proposed model suggests that definitions of advanced practice are appropriate to a range of practice models and cultural settings. However, the findings highlight the importance of assessing the effectiveness of such models in terms of cost and long-term patient outcomes.

Reply to Paparazzo

We would like to reply to the comments made by Paparazzo on our recent paper [1] on the “effect of curve fitting parameters on quantitative analysis of Fe0.94O and Fe2O3 using XPS”. There have been many studies on the characterisation of the properties of iron oxide surfaces. The main purpose of writing the paper was to demonstrate the extent to which the selection of input parameters for curve fitting can affect the results of the quantitative analysis, and to use this analysis to develop more consistent, reproducible and quantitative methods of analysis of these data.

CLIMA ORGANIZACIONAL NO CONTEXTO DE UMA INCUBADORA: ESTUDO COM TRÊS EMPREENDIMENTOS DO INTERIOR DE SÃO PAULO

A gestão de pessoas é um elemento estratégico nas organizações. Dentre as estratégias que podem ser adotadas pela gestão de pessoas, o monitoramento do clima organizacional vem sendo foco nas organizações. No mundo competitivo, as incubadoras de empresas surgem, com o objetivo de proporcionar aos novos empreendimentos, meios para que tenham condições de expandir, auxiliando no desenvolvimento econômico local e regional. O presente estudo objetivou analisar o clima organizacional de três empresas do projeto incubadora de uma cidade do interior do estado de São Paulo e, verificar os impactos que o clima presente está causando nestes empreendimentos. O critério utilizado para a seleção das empresas foi o de graduação, isto é, foram escolhidas empresas com mais tempo de incubadora e que estarão prontas para deixar o projeto no final do ano de 2014. Este estudo valeu-se de métodos qualitativos e quantitativos para poder efetuar o processo metodológico e construir a análise final da pesquisa. Como método quantitativo foi utilizada uma Escala de Clima Organizacional construída e validada por Martins et al. (2004) e como método qualitativo foi realizada uma entrevista com funcionários e gestores das empresas estudadas, com o objetivo de coletar informações para auxiliar no estudo, proporcionar melhor compreensão do ambiente de trabalho e verificar quais os principais impactos causados pelo clima presente. Percebeu-se que, as empresas estudadas, apresentam sérios problemas em seu ambiente de trabalho e, por sua vez, este clima organizacional vem impactando em outras variáveis como, nível de estresse, rotatividade de profissionais, desempenho profissional e na lucratividade destas organizações.

A PROPAGANDA POLÍTICA NA CONSTRUÇÃO DO IMAGINÁRIO COLETIVO NO CINEMA DE RESISTÊNCIA: Estudo de caso do filme Jango de Silvio Tendler

Este estudo tem como objetivo propor uma análise do modo como se constrói a representação da imagem eleitoral de João Goulart, sob a ótica da propaganda política no cinema brasileiro no período pós-ditadura. Para a realização desse objetivo contamos com o longa-metragem de Silvio Tendler de 1984, intitulado Jango. Cremos que este estudo se justifica por contribuir para identificar, compreender e mapear o imaginário da sociedade brasileira sobre João Goulart. Para o desenvolvimento do tema foram analisadas teorias de marketing político, propaganda ideológica e persuasão. A pesquisa foi norteada pelo método qualitativo e aplicadas as técnicas de pesquisa histórica e estudo de caso. Concluímos que o Filme de Silvio Tendler reconstruiu a imagem de João Goulart ressaltando seu papel na luta pelas reformas de base. A mistificação de Jango foi exposta no documentário expositivo.

Mathematical and numerical modelling of dispersion-managed solitons, autosolitons and self-similar optical pulses

This thesis presents theoretical investigation of three topics concerned with nonlinear optical pulse propagation in optical fibres. The techniques used are mathematical analysis and numerical modelling. Firstly, dispersion-managed (DM) solitons in fibre lines employing a weak dispersion map are analysed by means of a perturbation approach. In the case of small dispersion map strengths the average pulse dynamics is described by a perturbation approach (NLS) equation. Applying a perturbation theory, based on the Inverse Scattering Transform method, an analytic expression for the envelope of the DM soliton is derived. This expression correctly predicts the power enhancement arising from the dispersion management.Secondly, autosoliton transmission in DM fibre systems with periodical in-line deployment of nonlinear optical loop mirrors (NOLMs) is investigated. The use of in-line NOLMs is addressed as a general technique for all-optical passive 2R regeneration of return-to-zero data in high speed transmission system with strong dispersion management. By system optimisation, the feasibility of ultra-long single-channel and wavelength-division multiplexed data transmission at bit-rates ³ 40 Gbit s-1 in standard fibre-based systems is demonstrated. The tolerance limits of the results are defined.Thirdly, solutions of the NLS equation with gain and normal dispersion, that describes optical pulse propagation in an amplifying medium, are examined. A self-similar parabolic solution in the energy-containing core of the pulse is matched through Painlevé functions to the linear low-amplitude tails. The analysis provides a full description of the features of high-power pulses generated in an amplifying medium.

Use of a solvent-free dry matrix coating for quantitative matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization imaging of 4-bromophenyl-1,4-diazabicyclo(3.2.2)nonane-4-carboxylate in rat brain and quantitative analysis of the drug from laser microdissected tissue regions

A dry matrix application for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) was used to profile the distribution of 4-bromophenyl-1,4-diazabicyclo(3.2.2)nonane-4-carboxylate, monohydrochloride (BDNC, SSR180711) in rat brain tissue sections. Matrix application involved applying layers of finely ground dry alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) to the surface of tissue sections thaw mounted onto MALDI targets. It was not possible to detect the drug when applying matrix in a standard aqueous-organic solvent solution. The drug was detected at higher concentrations in specific regions of the brain, particularly the white matter of the cerebellum. Pseudomultiple reaction monitoring imaging was used to validate that the observed distribution was the target compound. The semiquantitative data obtained from signal intensities in the imaging was confirmed by laser microdissection of specific regions of the brain directed by the imaging, followed by hydrophilic interaction chromatography in combination with a quantitative high-resolution mass spectrometry method. This study illustrates that a dry matrix coating is a valuable and complementary matrix application method for analysis of small polar drugs and metabolites that can be used for semiquantitative analysis.

Innovation in teams : a qualitative and quantitative study of team behaviours

This thesis explores the processes of team innovation. It utilises two studies, an organisationally based pilot and an experimental study, to examine and identify aspects of teams' behaviours that are important for successful innovative outcome. The pilot study, based in two automotive manufacturers, involved the collection of team members' experiences through semi-structured interviews, and identified a number of factors that affected teams' innovative performance. These included: the application of ideative & dissemination processes; the importance of good team relationships, especially those of a more informal nature, in facilitating information and ideative processes; the role of external linkages in enhancing quality and radicality of innovations; and the potential attenuation of innovative ideas by time deadlines. This study revealed a number key team behaviours that may be important in successful innovation outcomes. These included; goal setting, idea generation and development, external contact, task and personal information exchange, leadership, positive feedback and resource deployment. These behaviours formed the basis of a coding system used in the second part of the research. Building on the results from the field based research, an experimental study was undertaken to examine the behavioural differences between three groups of sixteen teams undertaking innovative an task to produce an anti-drugs poster. They were randomly assigned to one of three innovation category conditions suggested by King and Anderson (1990), emergent, imported and imposed. These conditions determined the teams level of access to additional information on previously successful campaigns and the degree of freedom they had with regarding to the design of the poster. In addition, a further experimental condition was imposed on half of the teams per category which involved a formal time deadline for task completion. The teams were video taped for the duration of their innovation and their behaviours analysed and coded in five main aspects including; ideation, external focus, goal setting, interpersonal, directive and resource related activities. A panel of experts, utilising five scales developed from West and Anderson's (1996) innovation outcome measures, assessed the teams' outputs. ANOVAs and repeated measure ANOVAs were deployed to identify whether there were significant differences between the different conditions. The results indicated that there were some behavioural differences between the categories and that over the duration of the task behavioural changes were identified. The results, however, revealed a complex picture and suggested limited support for three distinctive innovation categories. There were many differences in behaviours, but rarely between more than two of the categories. A main finding was the impact that different levels of constraint had in changing teams' focus of attention. For example, emergent teams were found to use both their own team and external resources, whilst those who could import information about other successful campaigns were likely to concentrate outside the team and pay limited attention to the internal resources available within the team. In contrast, those operating under task constraints with aspects of the task imposed onto them were more likely to attend to internal team resources and pay limited attention to the external world. As indicated by the earlier field study, time deadlines did significantly change teams' behaviour, reducing ideative and information exchange behaviours. The model shows an important behavioural progression related to innovate teams. This progression involved the teams' openness initially to external sources, and then to the intra-team environment. Premature closure on the final idea before their mid-point was found to have a detrimental impact on team's innovation. Ideative behaviour per se was not significant for innovation outcome, instead the development of intra-team support and trust emerged as crucial. Analysis of variance revealed some limited differentiation between the behaviours of teams operating under the aforementioned three innovation categories. There were also distinct detrimental differences in the behaviour of those operating under a time deadline. Overall, the study identified the complex interrelationships of team behaviours and outcomes, and between teams and their context.

How green is green? A framework for environmental performance assessment in operations

This paper presents a framework based upon a relationship between environmental benefits and the investments and costs needed to implement and run company operations. As the results of environmental management become more evident it is proposed that the benefits rather than the environmental impacts are measured in the analysis of environmental performance. Four categories, or stages, are defined in this paper: “creative-green”, “expensive-green”, “inefficient-green or beginner”, and finally, the “complacent” stage. The paper describes the characteristics of each category and provides examples of indicators that could be used to measure environmental benefits. Qualitative and quantitative methods are necessary to classify companies according to the framework. It is believed that this paper can assist companies and public organisations to assess operations and projects considering their level of sustainability. The proposed framework can impact FDI and environmental policies in the public arena, and foster innovation on environmental practices within the private sector.

Exploring the relation between the qualitative and quantitative uses of the determiner some

This article attempts to repair the neglect of the qualitative uses of some and to suggest an explanation which could cover the full range of usage with this determiner - both quantitative and qualitative - showing how a single underlying meaning, modulated by contextual and pragmatic factors, can give rise to the wide variety of messages expressed by some in actual usage. Both the treatment of some as an existential quantifier and the scalar model which views some as evoking a less-than-expected quantity on a pragmatic scale are shown to be incapable of handling the qualitative uses of this determiner. An original analysis of some and the interaction of its meaning with the defining features of the qualitative uses is proposed, extending the discussion as well to the role of focus and the adverbial modifier quite. The crucial semantic feature of some for the explanation of its capacity to express qualitative readings is argued to be non-identification of a referent assumed to be particular. Under the appropriate conditions, this notion can give rise to qualitative denigration (implying it is not even worth the bother to identify the referent) or qualitative appreciation (implying the referent to be so outstanding that it defies identification). The explanation put forward is also shown to cover some's use as an approximator, thereby enhancing its plausibility even further. © Cambridge University Press 2012.

Breaking out of the silo mentality

The return to methods focusing on language and experience following the dominance of experimental methods has in the last few decades led to debate, dialogue, and disagreement regarding the status of qualitative and quantitative methods. However, a recent focus on impact has brought an air of pragmatism to the research arena. In what ways, then, is psychology moving from entrenched mono methods approaches that have epitomised its development until recently, to describing and discussing ways in which mixed and pluralistic research can advance and contribute to further, deeper psychological understanding?.

Multiple Dipole Source Models for Scalp-Recorded Event-Related Potentials: Example from Complex Visual Processing in the Human Brain

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 62P10, 92C20

Specification and quantitative analysis of probabilistic cloud deployment patterns

Cloud computing is a new technological paradigm offering computing infrastructure, software and platforms as a pay-as-you-go, subscription-based service. Many potential customers of cloud services require essential cost assessments to be undertaken before transitioning to the cloud. Current assessment techniques are imprecise as they rely on simplified specifications of resource requirements that fail to account for probabilistic variations in usage. In this paper, we address these problems and propose a new probabilistic pattern modelling (PPM) approach to cloud costing and resource usage verification. Our approach is based on a concise expression of probabilistic resource usage patterns translated to Markov decision processes (MDPs). Key costing and usage queries are identified and expressed in a probabilistic variant of temporal logic and calculated to a high degree of precision using quantitative verification techniques. The PPM cost assessment approach has been implemented as a Java library and validated with a case study and scalability experiments. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Global variations and time trends in the prevalence of childhood myopia, a systematic review and quantitative meta-analysis:implications for aetiology and early prevention

The aim of this review was to quantify the global variation in childhood myopia prevalence over time taking account of demographic and study design factors. A systematic review identified population-based surveys with estimates of childhood myopia prevalence published by February 2015. Multilevel binomial logistic regression of log odds of myopia was used to examine the association with age, gender, urban versus rural setting and survey year, among populations of different ethnic origins, adjusting for study design factors. 143 published articles (42 countries, 374 349 subjects aged 1- 18 years, 74 847 myopia cases) were included. Increase in myopia prevalence with age varied by ethnicity. East Asians showed the highest prevalence, reaching 69% (95% credible intervals (CrI) 61% to 77%) at 15 years of age (86% among Singaporean-Chinese). Blacks in Africa had the lowest prevalence; 5.5% at 15 years (95% CrI 3% to 9%). Time trends in myopia prevalence over the last decade were small in whites, increased by 23% in East Asians, with a weaker increase among South Asians. Children from urban environments have 2.6 times the odds of myopia compared with those from rural environments. In whites and East Asians sex differences emerge at about 9 years of age; by late adolescence girls are twice as likely as boys to be myopic. Marked ethnic differences in age-specific prevalence of myopia exist. Rapid increases in myopia prevalence over time, particularly in East Asians, combined with a universally higher risk of myopia in urban settings, suggest that environmental factors play an important role in myopia development, which may offer scope for prevention.