11 research outputs found
Weaving the mat: Enablers for Pasifika midwifery students
No full textBACKGROUND:
Despite there being a large, and increasing, Pacific birthing population in Aotearoa, Pasifika midwives are a minority within the midwifery workforce. There are low numbers of Pasifika students entering and completing midwifery education, and consequently an under-representation of Pacific peoples in the midwifery profession. There is a very real need to attract, educate, and retain greater numbers of Pasifika midwifery students in order to grow the Pacific midwifery workforce.
AIM:
This study investigates the sources of support for Pasifika midwifery students in Aotearoa that contributed to their academic achievement, enabling them to successfully complete their undergraduate midwifery degree.
METHOD:
Using a qualitative approach, informed by the Pacific Talanoa Research Methodology (TRM), the sources of support that contributed to Pasifika midwives’ successful completion of their undergraduate degree were investigated. Talanoa/informal interviews were conducted with 10 participants, who qualified between 2013 and 2019. Talanoa took place face-to-face, either individually or in small groups. Interview data were transcribed and coded using thematic analysis.
FINDINGS:
The findings of the research show that family and cultural support was paramount for student success. Having close connections with the Pacific community was enabling for Pasifika midwifery students. These connections included the sistership with other Pasifika midwifery students, ‘Aunties’ who offered pastoral and academic support, and Pacific midwifery educators who provided cultural support within the institution. Pasifika staff offered more personalised support and bridged the gap between Pasifika students and non-Pacific academic staff. Foundation courses were deemed beneficial for building knowledge and skills prior to undertaking the midwifery degree. Successful Pasifika students also engaged with learning support services. Financial support, by way of scholarships and subsidies, relieved some of the significant financial pressure that Pasifika midwifery students faced.
CONCLUSIONS:
Pasifika midwifery students are enabled by support from their family, close connections with the Pacific midwifery community, a Pasifika presence at their institution, and financial assistance. A wrap-around approach is recommended for providing culturally appropriate support for Pasifika midwifery students. The findings from this research will enable more tailored support for their needs. A growth in the number of Pasifika midwives will be positive for the midwifery workforce, and the health and wellbeing of all birthing communities in Aotearoa
EVALUATION OF MORPHINE, CODEINE AND D-PROPOXYPHENE IN RATS UTILIZING PHARMACOLOGICAL DATA OBTAINED FROM AN OPTIMIZED ANALGESIA TESTER
No full textThe applicability of the molecular scale drug entrapment concept for improving the action of morphine, codeine, and d-propoxyphene was investigated. Seven different methods of interacting the analgetic drugs with methacrylate-methacrylic acid copolymer latices were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. For in vivo assessment of the products, drug-polymer interaction and dissolution studies were conducted. Dissolution testing was accomplished using a multi-channel continuous flow apparatus which was standardized by investigating the effects of days, dissolution cells, flow rates, and sample sizes on the release profiles of the products. Subsequently, the apparatus was used to determine the effect of the drug concentration used to prepare a product and the effect of the product\u27s particle size on its release profile. Both effects were found to be influential on a product\u27s in vitro performance. The reslts from the dissolution testing, in agreement with the drug-polymer interaction studies, indicated that the products investigated had an extremely low affinity to interact with the polymer. For in vivo evaluation of the drug-polymer products, a light-beam tail-flick tester was employed. Principles of statistical design and optimization were utilized to increase the reliability and reduce the variability of this thermal technique in evaluating analgetic drugs in test animals (rat tail-flick response). The light-beam technique was compared against the more conventional hot-wire method by in vitro (temperature profiles) and in vivo (analgetic response profiles) evaluations, both of which showed the advantages and superior performance of the former over the latter. The utility of this analgesia tester accompanied by appropriate data collection (reaction time) and response variable expression (response intensity) in reducing the problems associated with data treatment was demonstrated. This analgesia tester was then used to evaluate the drug-polymer interacted systems in vivo. Results showed that the products studied did not offer any prolongation of analgetic activity. The data obtained from the optimized analgesia tester and the standardized dissolution testing procedure corroborated each other and thus resulted in reliable in vitro - in vivo correlations for the drug-polymer interacted systems. . . . (Author\u27s abstract exceeds stipulated maximum length. Discontinued here with permission of school.) UM
Rainfall-runoff Modeling Using Dynamic Evolving Neural Fuzzy Inference System with Online Learning
No full textAbstractNeuro-Fuzzy Systems (NFS) are computational intelligence tools that have recently been employed in hydrological modeling. In many of the common NFS the learning algorithms used are based on batch learning where all the parameters of the fuzzy system are optimized off-line. Although these models have frequently been used, there is a criticism on such learning process as the number of rules are needed to be predefined by the user. This will reduce the flexibility of the NFS architecture while dealing with different data with different level of complexity. On the other hand, online or local learning evolves through local adjustments in the model as new data is introduced in sequence. In this study, dynamic evolving neural fuzzy inference system (DENFIS) is used in which an evolving, online clustering algorithm called the Evolving Clustering Method (ECM) is implemented. ECM is an online, maximum distance-based clustering method which is able to estimate the number of clusters in a data set and find their current centers in the input space through its fast, one-pass algorithm. The 10-minutes rainfall-runoff time series from a small (23.22 km2) tropical catchment named Sungai Kayu Ara in Selangor, Malaysia, was used in this study. Out of the 40 major events, 12 were used for training and 28 for testing. Results obtained by DENFIS were then compared with the ones obtained by physically-based rainfall-runoff model HEC-HMS and a regression model ARX. It was concluded that DENFIS results were comparable to HEC-HMS and superior to ARX model. This indicates a strong potential for DENFIS to be used in rainfall-runoff modeling
Millisecond-Timescale Optical Control of Neural Dynamics in the Nonhuman Primate Brain
No full textTo understand how brain states and behaviors are generated by neural circuits, it would be useful to be able to perturb precisely the activity of specific cell types and pathways in the nonhuman primate nervous system. We used lentivirus to target the light-activated cation channel channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) specifically to excitatory neurons of the macaque frontal cortex. Using a laser-coupled optical fiber in conjunction with a recording microelectrode, we showed that activation of excitatory neurons resulted in well-timed excitatory and suppressive influences on neocortical neural networks. ChR2 was safely expressed, and could mediate optical neuromodulation, in primate neocortex over many months. These findings highlight a methodology for investigating the causal role of specific cell types in nonhuman primate neural computation, cognition, and behavior, and open up the possibility of a new generation of ultraprecise neurological and psychiatric therapeutics via cell-type-specific optical neural control prosthetics.Helen Hay Whitney Foundation (Fellowship)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH-EY002621-31)McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT (Neurotechnology Award)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant NIH-EY12848)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant NIH-EY017292)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH Director's New Innovator Award (DP2 OD002002-01))Brain & Behavior Research FoundationUnited States. Dept. of DefenseNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan FoundationDr. Gerald Burnett and Marjorie BurnettSFN Research Award for Innovation in NeuroscienceMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Media LaboratoryBenesse FoundationWallace H. Coulter Foundatio
Societal Duty or Pragmatic Paradox? Exploring Midwives’ Experiences of Contradictory Work Demands During COVID-19 Lockdowns
No full textWe theorize how the nested-ness and knotted-ness of a pragmatic paradox shapes the experience of ensuing tensions. Our theorization draws on a qualitative, abductive study of essential workers (midwives) who were forced to accept contradictory work demands during COVID-19 lockdowns. Midwives experienced these demands as performing tensions stemming from an interconnected need to both protect wellbeing and risk wellbeing in their professional roles. In turn, midwives’ performing tensions were knotted with belonging tensions and nested within organizing tensions faced by societal leaders. Surprisingly, we found that although most midwives experienced contradictory and unrefusable demands as a disempowering pragmatic paradox, some experienced the same demands as a motivating duty. The crux was how midwives interpreted the alignment between knotted performing and belonging tensions. Our research provides a more nuanced view of how workers “live through” pragmatic paradoxes and offers insights into the complex interplay between power asymmetries and multi-level, interwoven paradoxes
Birth in the Time of COVID-19: Midwives’ Experiences of Providing Care During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textIntroduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2020, midwives in Aotearoa New Zealand were classified as essential workers and continued providing maternity services in hospitals, birth centres and the community. Midwives adapted their practice, using virtual care and navigating the restrictions imposed on birthing women/people and their whānau. This paper reports on midwives’ experiences of providing care during the pandemic.
Aim: To identify the impacts of the pandemic on midwives providing antenatal, labour and birth, and postnatal care to birthing women/people and their whānau during the 2020 Level 4 and Level 3 restrictions. Method: In-depth exploratory interviews and Braun and Clarke’s (2019) process of reflexive thematic analysis were used to explore impacts on the practice and personal lives of midwives.
Findings: Fifteen midwives described their work-related challenges: significantly increased workloads, inconsistent messaging regarding practice guidance between health authorities and others, and limited access to personal protective equipment. Reflections about wider professional interests included these midwives’ immense pride in their profession and their increased agility in the use of new technologies. But these positive elements were juxtaposed against a perceived lack of recognition and financial support for their increased workloads, leaving midwives feeling marginalised and invisible. Midwives’ personal lives were significantly challenged by the stress and fear of facing COVID-19 itself, the juggle of managing their work and whānau lives, and their sense of conflict from feeling unable to practise in ways that aligned with their philosophies of inclusion and family-centredness.
Conclusion: Despite challenges, these midwives were committed to whānau in their care and demonstrated resilience, adaptability and resourcefulness in meeting their needs. Health planners should recognise that, as a primary health service, a significant amount of midwifery care is provided in the community setting and future pandemic planning should ensure smooth provision of resources to community-based midwives. Streamlining of information from trusted sources, together with consistency across the country, will assist midwives to respond to health directives confidently
Análise de 1003 crianças internadas com queimadura no Hospital Infantil Joana de Gusmão.
No full textTrabalho de Conclusão de Curso - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Curso de Medicina. Departamento de Pediatria
Estudo retrospectivo de 397 crianças internadas com diagnóstico de queimaduras no Hospital Infantil Joana de Gusmão no período de 2005 a 2008.
No full textTrabalho de Conclusão de Curso - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Curso de Medicina. Departamento de Pediatria
The emerging role of probiotics as a mitigation strategy against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
No full textCOVID-19 is an acute respiratory infection accompanied by pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has affected millions of people globally. To date, there are no highly efficient therapies for this infection. Probiotic bacteria can interact with the gut microbiome to strengthen the immune system, enhance immune responses, and induce appropriate immune signaling pathways. Several probiotics have been confirmed to reduce the duration of bacterial or viral infections. Immune fitness may be one of the approaches by which protection against viral infections can be reinforced. In general, prevention is more efficient than therapy in fighting viral infections. Thus, probiotics have emerged as suitable candidates for controlling these infections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, any approach with the capacity to induce mucosal and systemic reactions could potentially be useful. Here, we summarize findings regarding the effectiveness of various probiotics for preventing virus-induced respiratory infectious diseases, especially those that could be employed for COVID-19 patients. However, the benefits of probiotics are strain-specific, and it is necessary to identify the bacterial strains that are scientifically established to be beneficial. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature
Metasin: An Intra-Operative Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase-Chain Reaction (RTqPCR) Assay to Detect Metastatic Breast Cancer in Sentinel Lymph Nodes
No full textThe copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the authorThe most important prognostic factor in breast cancer is the presence or absence of metastases in axillary lymph nodes. Frozen section and touch imprint cytology are
conventional intra-operative methods used in the detection of metastatic breast
cancer with varying sensitivities and specificities. The limitation of these methods led to the development of alternative molecular diagnostic tests, such as GeneSearch, a
commercial real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) assay that allows for an intra-operative diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer. When the GeneSearch assay was discontinued, Metasin was developed as an in-house RT-qPCR
replacement assay. Metasin targets the epithelial cell marker cytokeratin 19 (CK19) and the breast marker mammaglobin (MGB) mRNA to confirm the presence or
absence of metastatic disease, whilst the reference gene porphobilinogen deaminase
(PBGD) acts as a positive control for the performance of the assay. The optimised assay can produce a result within 32 minutes allowing it to be used in the intra-operative setting to detect metastatic breast cancer in sentinel lymph nodes.
154 archived lymph node homogenates that were previously analysed by both
GeneSearch and histology in parallel were used to validate Metasin. Out of 154 cases,
148 showed concordance with both GeneSearch and Metasin with 111 cases being
negative and 37 cases being positive. There were six discordant cases, four in which only Metasin detected metastases and two in which only GeneSearch picked up
metastases. Out of the four Metasin-only positive cases, three were found to be
positive on histology after deeper levels were cut in the slices sent for histological assessment. Therefore, one case could not be shown histologically to be positive for
metastases. There were two cases that were missed by Metasin but picked up by
GeneSearch. One case was positive on histology and the second case negative for
histology. The error rate for Metasin was 3.89%. The sensitivity and specificity of the
Metasin assay were found to be 95% and 98% respectively, and the positive and
negative predictive values were 90% and 98% respectively. These results are
comparable to those of GeneSearch. Metasin had an assay time of less than 45
minutes and was operated by biomedical scientists. The results of the validation process were deemed acceptable for the assay to be run live and used in the clinical
setting. Metasin continues to provide breast cancer patients at Princess Alexandra Hospital with all the advantages that a molecular intra-operative diagnostic service provides.Epping Breast Cancer Research Fun
