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The Relationship of External Devices and the Development of Pressure Ulcers in a Pediatric Population
No full textEfforts are being made to reduce the prevalence of the development of pressure ulcers in pediatric hospitals using pressure ulcer risk assessment tools including the Braden Scale, Braden Q, and Pediatric Pressure Ulcer Prediction & Evaluation Tool (PPUPET). Many factors lead to skin breakdown and pressure ulcer development. The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency of pressure ulcers related to the presence of external devices. The conceptual framework is based on Betty Neuman’s Systems Model Nursing Theory, which looks at different variables in the internal, external and created environments that place patients at an increased risk for a certain condition. Information was gathered from 70 patients both male and female during a skin audit day at a teaching children’s hospital in West Michigan. Pediatric patients on all inpatient units were assessed excluding the NICU, patients who refused the skin audit and those off the unit. Analysis of the data was run on SPSS using descriptive statistics to determine correlations and percentages. Chi-square tests were performed to determine relationships in the data. Results show no significant findings comparing the number of devices and presence of pressure ulcers (Pearson’s r = -.159, p = .189). There was a significant positive correlation found between the number of devices and the PPUPET score given to that patient (Pearson’s r = .697, p = .000). Limitations include data from one West Michigan children’s hospital. This study will aid in the awareness of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers in the pediatric population and lead to implementation of tools that will work to identify early pressure ulcers caused by external devices
The Relationship Between Elimination of the Newborn Bath with Skin-to-Skin Contact and Hypoglycemia
No full textNewborn care immediately after birth includes numerous activities including taking weight and measurements, administration of medications, bathing and swaddling. Baby Friendly is a nationwide hospital initiative that provides ten steps for hospitals to improve breastfeeding between mother and newborn. These ten steps were the basis used in elimination of the newborn bath at one Midwestern hospital. Evidence has shown the benefits of skin to skin contact immediately after birth on breastfeeding. This quality improvement study compared outcomes of newborn bath versus newborn bath elimination and the incidence of hypoglycemia. The study took place at a large Midwestern Magnetdesignated hospital. Chart-reviews were completed and data entered into an Excel spreadsheet by the nursing student for 50 babies born in April 2014 and 50 in July 2014. Information on baths, breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, temperature, and glucose levels were gathered. Data analysis was completed using SPSS statistical software. Results showed no evidence that elimination of the newborn bath is related to improved patient outcomes. The retrospective aspect of this study provides a limitation because there were missing data and inconsistencies in charting. This study also only took place in one hospital with a small sample size, limiting the generalizability of the results. This study provided evidence-based information for nursing care on whether there are benefits, besides increased bonding, to eliminating the newborn bath. Future research is needed with larger samples in a variety of hospitals with diverse populations
In-Depth Coursework in Undergraduate Inorganic Chemistry: Results from a National Survey of Inorganic Chemistry Faculty
No full textA national survey of inorganic chemists explored the self-reported topics covered in in-depth inorganic chemistry courses at the postsecondary level an in-depth course is defined by the American Chemical Society\u27s Committee on Professional Training as a course that integrates and covers topics that were introduced in introductory and foundation courses in a more thorough manner. Anecdotal evidence suggested that more than one type of in-depth course was offered in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. Cluster analysis confirmed this evidence and revealed three distinct types of in-depth inorganic chemistry courses with unique topical profiles. These results confirm diversity in the inorganic chemistry curriculum and the need for awareness that our students leave degree programs with varying understanding of inorganic chemistry based on the coursework offered at their respective institutions
Effects of different wavelengths of light on the biology, behavior, and production of grow-out Pekin ducks
No full textPrevious research has shown that red light conditions may improve growth and decrease aggressive behaviors in chickens and turkeys; however, more recent studies suggest that blue-green light may improve production of broilers over red light. To date, no research has been conducted to examine whether different wavelengths of light have an impact on production in the Pekin duck. To determine this, we raised Pekin ducks under aviary conditions that were similar to standard commercial barns. The ducks were kept in 3 different pens: red light (approximately 625 nm), blue light (approximately 425 nm), and white light. Light sources in each pen were standardized to produce a peak energy at 1.6 x 10(3) mu M photons/m(2)/s at the level of the ducks\u27 heads. Ducks were given ad libitum access to water and commercial duck diet, and were housed on pine shavings at a density of 0.43 m(2)/duck. Ducks were evaluated weekly for BW and condition and a subjective measure of the duck\u27s anxiety levels was determined. We found that ducks housed under blue light had significantly (P \u3c 0.01) reduced BW at every age until the end of the study (processing age; 35 d). Unlike ducks housed under red or white light, ducks housed in the blue pen showed a higher level of anxiety; while evaluators were in the pen a majority of them began panting, they were much less inquisitive than other ducks, they took longer to exhibit normal social behavior once evaluation was completed, and they frequently swarmed when no people were present. There were no differences in any measurements between the red and white-lighted pens. These data suggest that unlike the chicken, blue lights may be inappropriate for raising Pekin ducks in a commercial setting
Evolution of Today’s Crisis in Iraq and the Levant: What are the Underlying Historical and Cultural Factors for the Rise of the Islamic State?
No full textThis research aims to describe the rapid growth of the Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIS or ISIL. Drawing facts from news articles, scholarly publications, and recent investigations conducted over the group, we have sought to illuminate the core ambitions and principles that created IS and to discuss the short- and long-term implications for the region
The Effects of Directing Groups in Rhodium Catalyzed Decarbonylation Reactions
No full textThe activation of carbon-carbon single bonds is a challenge due to the inherent strength of the bonds as a result of a lack of flexibility in the sigma bond and steric congestion that can occur around the bond. These bonds can be broken with the use of rhodium catalysts. A key reaction that can be carried out using carbon-carbon bond activation is the decarbonylation reaction. This occurs in the presence of both a rhodium catalyst and a nitrogen directing group. Herein we describe the synthetic pathways for starting materials, as well as the kinetic effects of various directing groups on the decarbonylation
A Framework for General Chemistry Laboratory Design and Evaluation
No full textThe Department of Chemistry at Hope College has a history of leading the nation in chemistry education with an emphasis on integration of research experiences into undergraduate education. Research into effective qualities of a General Chemistry Laboratory experience have emphasized the structured inclusion of research-like experiences, guided inquiry, as well as professional skills into the curriculum. Hope College has endeavored to include proven new teaching methods such as peer review, real-world contextualization, and inquiry-based experiments into their curriculum as cohesively as possible. Here, a full literature review of recommended learning objectives will be presented, along with a metaanalysis to generate a useful rubric for evaluating the quality of any General Chemistry Laboratory curriculum, followed by its application to Hope College’s own Chemistry 127 & 128 sequence. Highlights of this project include a breakdown of the strengths of our current curriculum as well as research-guided avenues for improvements with subsequent iterative evaluation. At the heart of this research is the creation of a framework for both design of new laboratories and evaluation of curricula that can be applied universally to any existing program to aid in the incorporation of effective pedagogies. The transferability of this generic iterative framework for improving laboratory curriculum to other institutions will be discussed
The Synthesis and Examination of Bridged Oligothiophenes as Small-molecule Semiconductors in Organic Photovoltaic Devices
No full textOrganic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) have been a centerpiece of solar power research due to their low-cost fabrication and minimal environmental impact. Recent advancements in synthetic chemistry have enabled the tuning of organic semiconductor functionality at the molecular level, thereby enhancing device specificity and increasing OPV efficiency to levels approaching those required for commercial success. Specifically, oligothiophenes have been widely studied and demonstrate viability as charge transport materials in OPVs. The present study reports the synthesis of a novel family of bridged oligothiophenes with methyl-capped terthiophene, quinquithiophene, and septithiophene backbones for application in OPV devices. The structures were studied with UV-Vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and tested for OPV performance in bulk heterojunction solar cells. Successful photocurrent generation was observed for devices fabricated with a donor-acceptor mixture of the terthiophene analogue and PC70BM. A ten-fold increase in power conversion efficiency was attained through the optimization of solution-processing parameters. Meanwhile, the septithiophenebackboned analogue exhibited more desirable optical and electrochemical properties than its terthiophene and quinquithiophene counterparts. However, its tendency to aggregate resulted in non-uniform film morphology, impeded charge transport, and prevented successful photocurrent generation. Improvements in the processability of bridged oligothiophenes are needed to best exploit the properties of these unique organic semiconductors
Implementing a Coordinate Transformation for Scintillating Arrays
No full textIn the MoNA experiments at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, three arrays of scintillators detect neutrons that decay from the nuclei produced in various reactions. Each array consists of stacked plastic bars, 64 to 144 in number. The interaction point of each neutron in an array is recorded with information about the specific bar and the location of the interaction within a single bar. However, this information is in the coordinate frame of the array. To obtain meaningful information about the momentum vector of the neutron, the positions where each particle interactions must be found within the coordinate frame of the laboratory. The original algorithm was only correct in cases where the arrays were horizontal, relative to the floor of the vault. A process was established for implementing coordinate transformation matrices to do these calculations for each array